Art and Artifice
by dagget
Summary: Life hasn't always been kind to Naruto, but he's got talent and determination. He just wants to get into University but his quasi doublelife is about to cause him some difficulties. Itanaru, onesided sasunaru. AU
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 1

"So now you're suddenly worried?" Haku was using his therapist voice again. "You were all psyched up about this before." He stopped working altogether and leaned back to take in the rapid transformation of his blond friend's canvas. Naruto's face was drawn into an unconscious scowl, and his brush strokes were rather harsh, erratic sweeps. This however did nothing to detract from the strange beauty of the painting taking shape. Haku was almost envious. He himself was talented in his own right but his style was quite different from Naruto's and he was certain that had he tried to work that way it would have just come out a big mess.

"Well now I've 'done' it," Naruto finally replied. "Before I was still just imagining. Thinking and 'doing' are two different things. I could have imagined forever and never felt the consequences. Now I'm going to actually get a response. What will I do if I don't get in?"

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure we'll both get in." Haku soothed his friend. Then he chuckled at the adorable look of half hope, half desperation that Naruto shot him. "And since we 'are' both going to be accepted," he continued, "we are both going to be taking the guided tour of the facilities one week from today." Naruto brightened instantly.

"Really?!"

"That's right. I've already informed the office that we will be missing classes that day." Haku looked supremely self satisfied. Naruto's mood having lifted considerably, they chattered away for a bit as they began to put away all the supplies and move their paintings back out of the way.

As the two walked together out of their advanced art class, Naruto pulled up his over-sized hood and became quiet once more. He didn't speak much outside of the settings where he felt most comfortable. Moreover he was feeling particularly introspective at the moment.

He had recently submitted his portfolio to the Konoha University of Fine Arts (Yay KUFA!) and with each passing day, he had grown more and more nervous about it. Haku may have passed it off as no big deal but the school was known to be very selective. Naruto had heard of more than one person that had applied two or three times and been rejected. It quite nerve wracking. Naruto had no other aspirations in life. He been saving up for this and working towards it for his entire high school career. He'd been living in the cheapest possible little hole-in-the-wall and avoiding any and every extra expenditure. He was already the definition of a starving artist. He...he..had just walked into something.

Naruto snapped out of his pondering and looked up...into the dreaded face of Uchiha Sasuke. The dark haired boy had a very familiar smirk on his face. The blond immediately dropped his gaze back down to the hand on his chest that had stopped him. Giving a resigned sigh, he waited for whatever was coming 'this time'. The hand on his chest suddenly curled into a fist, gathering the excessive fabric of his hoody and Naruto felt himself being dragged the last few steps out the door into the sunlight. He heard the snickers and giggles of the Uchiha's friends and some other bystanders as his bag was jerked from his shoulder and upended in front of him. With a few shakes to make sure that all of the contents were on the ground, the smug bastard threw the empty bag up into the branches of the nearest tree.

Naruto made no protest and the taller boy just smirked and left him standing there. The group of popular kid walked off, surrounding the Uchiha, laughing and praising him like he'd made some great achievement. Naruto just sighed once more before setting to the task of retrieving his bag. The damn bastard had to go and throw it into the willow. That tree was freakin' hard to climb! Twenty minutes later he shoved the last of his things into the bag and with a quick glance at his watch, took off at a run away from the grounds and down the street. He mentally cursed the Uchiha for probably the 'billionth' time. Now he was going to be late for work again.

Raidou looked up from his place behind the counter as the chime of the opening door, rang out through the room. Ah there was his AWOL employee.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm late!" Naruto puffed. He leaned over, panting hard, one hand braced on his knee, the other still clutching the door for support. Raidou shook his head and waited for the boy to catch his breath. A moment later, Naruto stood up straight with one last deep breath and finally stepped all the way in, allowing the door to swing closed behind him.

"Naruto, did you have some trouble with that Uchiha brat again?" The boy pulled back his hood and looked up sheepishly at him.

"Ah yeah, but don't worry. Only my bag got roughed up this time," he joked with a cheerful grin. "He must have been in a pretty good mood today actually. He didn't even say a word and he made it quick and relatively painless."

"Awww Kyuubi! Why don't you just give in and let us beat the ever-livin' crap out of the guy?" came the familiar voice of Kotetsu, just as Naruto felt a heavy arm fall across his shoulder. Izumo, who had also just come up from the back, crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

"Yes I've been itching to get my hands on that little punk for a long time now," he put in. Genma had come to lean against the counter by now. He faced away from the rest, a needle held precariously between his teeth as usual and one might have thought he wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all but he too nodded and gave a small hum of approval. Naruto sighed and looked around at his co-workers. They had become like family to him and he appreciated them caring for his well-being (in their own way). He hated to disappoint them.

"I'm sorry guys. I know you want to help and I know the bastard probably deserves it, but I won't have to deal with him much longer anyway. Graduation is right around the corner and I'd rather not be involved in any unnecessary drama, if I can manage it." Naruto gave them all a warning look as he spoke. " And I'm sure that somehow it would just come around and bite me in the ass" he muttered under his breath before looking up and giving one of his trademark breathtaking smiles. "Besides, it'll be good to be able to look back on this whole chapter of my life and know that I got through it all on my own right?"

"Whatever you say Kyuubi chan." Kotetsu grinned back at him. It was simply impossible not to. The boy was like a force of nature that way. He couldn't be denied. "But you know...if you ever change your mind..." The rest of the group sighed and left it at that. Naruto happily moved behind the counter and made himself comfortable, removing his sweater. The tight tank underneath showed off his trim form as well as a little teasing hint of the huge tattoo that had spawned his nickname among his co-workers. When he had heard the legend of the nine tailed demon fox, Kyuubi, in one of his classes it had sparked a powerful mental image in him. He could just see this amazing tattoo in his head and he knew that it was the image he had to have.

His friends at work were ecstatic that he was finally getting his own tattoo. They had been teasing and coaxing him to do it for an entire year. They had even tried guilting him by saying he was making them look bad, working in a tattoo parlour and not having any tattoos. However, a tattoo was a commitment and Naruto refused to get one until he found the perfect design. Every last one of their jaws had dropped when Naruto's perfect design turned out to be Freakin' Huge. In fact Naruto would have to be completely naked to show someone the full effect. There were nine red tails, outlined and shaded with black and deep brown. They swirled out from the small of his back and divided off to the lower left and upper right of his body, following the natural curves of muscle and bone structure. Two curled around to his chest above and below the nipple. Another came over the shoulder and dipped along the collar bone. A fourth ran up his neck, the tip just brushing the hairline and a fifth curved beside the spine and followed the left shoulder blade to the outer curve of the shoulder. The next curled low on his left flank and flowed down along the inner dip of his hip bone while the last three went down over his left ass cheek and wrapped around his leg, two in one direction and one in the other. Needless to say it had been quite the undertaking. Kotetsu and Izumo had been ready to flip for the privilege (Genma, as a piercer was out of the running) but Naruto had wanted Raidou to do the job. For one thing, there would be less perverted jokes to endure that way and the young blond somewhat idolized his boss. He was extremely grateful to the man for the chance he'd given him and everything he'd done for him.

When Naruto had first moved to this town, he had been completely alone and had a difficult time trusting anybody. He had spent the past several years going through a string of less-than-ideal foster homes. His last guardian had been a drunk with violent tendencies. Naruto usually took care to avoid him by being in his room, pretending to sleep when whenever he came home late at night. One night though, he had come home early and caught Naruto in the kitchen, making a snack. In an irrational rage, he had grabbed the boy and thrown him down. Pinning him to the ground he had snatched the paring knife Naruto had been using from the floor where it had fallen and carved three parallel lines in each of his cheeks. Of course with permanent and terribly obvious evidence like that, it was easy enough to have the man put behind bars. The state even ended up granting Naruto's petition for emancipation, after which he had decided to move to a new town all together. He had started his first year of high school shortly after, determined to do well but he had been extremely self-conscious of his fresh scars at the time and had taken to hiding his face away in the shadows of an over-sized hood.

The government helped out with his living expenses but Naruto knew he would need to make more money in order to save up for further education. He had sought employment with his one skill and had wound up here in at Shuriken Tattoo and Body Piercing Studios. These people had seen his talent and nurtured his potential. They had taken him in and made him feel welcome and eventually, comfortable and secure enough to truly be himself around them. They taught him everything he knew about the trade. Naruto had become a damn good tattoo artist and he owed it all to them. Stashing the hoody in a drawer just as the door chimes rang out again, he turned around to greet the incoming client with a friendly smile.

A/N Just to warn you: There will be a certain amount of Sasuke bashing in this story. Not because I don't like him but every once in a while I like to see him punished. (giggle)Don't worry, I won't keep him all one dimensional. Seriously though, tell me you get tired of stories where he does all this horrible shit and Naruto instantly forgives him like a total push-over. Sometimes people have to actually live with their consequences damn it! I don't think I'll be 'too' harsh on him though.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 2

It was Friday at last. Usually, this would have put Sasuke in a good mood. Today however, his mother had informed him that his older brother, Itachi, would be coming home to visit this weekend. In actual fact the news was not likely to affect Sasuke's weekend plans in the least. It was just that the mere mention of Itachi got on Sasuke's nerves and while the feeling might have been short lived otherwise, the knowledge that he would hearing about him and possibly seeing him anytime he was at home for the whole weekend would be sure to hang over him all day. A few pedestrians were lucky to escape with their lives as a sleek dark blue Ferrari 308 GTSi with custom plates that read SASUKE1, tore around corners, weaving recklessly through traffic and disregarding crosswalks entirely on the way to Shinobi high school.

"Dude, what's got your panties in a knot on this fine Friday morning?" asked Inuzuka Kiba as he took in the dark look on the Uchiha's face. Not to mention the way he slammed the door of his precious car with savage force. Kiba was the only one of his friends that was brash and foolhardy enough to openly interrogate Sasuke when he was obviously in such a dangerous mood. A rather large group of females all shot Kiba dirty looks for daring to bother their sweet Sasuke kun. Sasuke just ignored the girls as he pressed the button on his key chain, locking the car with a loud chirp and began striding towards the school entrance.

"My brother's going to be down for the weekend. I hate that asshole."

"Oh yeah, he goes to that art college in Konoha right?" Kiba looked thoughtful. "You don't see much of him do you? Look at it this way, if he comes home now, that means that afterwards you won't see him for another few months." A raised eyebrow was all the response he got and Kiba shrugged helplessly. "Well whatever man. Just tryin' to help." Sasuke's current girlfriend chose that moment to cut in.

"You suck at helping Kiba! Leave Sasuke kun alone." She latched onto Sasuke's arm and gave him a flirty smile. "Don't worry Sasuke honey, I'll cheer you up in no time."

"I've told you before not to call me that." Sasuke growled. Then he reigned himself in a little and continued in a cold, level tone. "I don't need your cheering up. In fact I'm more than through with you. Consider yourself dumped. Now get lost!" The beautiful girl's eye's instantly filled with tears and her hands flew up to cover her mouth but not in time to stop one gasping sob from escaping. Without another word she turned and fled, probably to the girls bathroom to cry out her humiliation in relative peace. Sasuke didn't feel an ounce of remorse. It wasn't like he could even remember the girls name most of the time and out of all the girlfriends he'd had, that one had been particularly annoying. Couldn't she just shut up and let him wallow? For God's sake! Sasuke didn't want to be happy. He wanted to sulk damn it! A whole weekend of Itachi this and Itachi that and having to put up with those smug looks and that condescending tone. Nobody condescended to Sasuke but Itachi. It was like he thought his little brother was some poor, sad, pathetic creature. It was not to be borne!

Of course now he'd have to find a new girlfriend. He mentally sighed at the prospect, giving a quick glance over all the girls in the immediate vicinity. Nope. Nothing remotely interesting. On the other hand, he was getting pretty sick of girls. Maybe he would make his next conquest a guy. He pondered halfheartedly on the question, ignoring his friends' idle chatter as he continued on to his locker and picked up the things he needed for class.

On the way into his classroom, Sasuke happened to spot the perfect way to take out a little of his irritation. Uzumaki Naruto was just making his way into the room as well. Sasuke stuck one foot into the smaller boy's path and gave his back a little push for good measure. Naruto fell flat on his face and the rest of the students who had already made it into the class laughed uproariously at his expense. As he picked himself up without a word and made his way to his seat, a small, satisfied smirk crossed Sasuke's lips. Ah yes! He felt a little better already. A few more of those and this day might turn out half way decent after all.

-------------------

"Hey Kyuubi! What's up?" Haku cheerfully greeted his friend as he walked into the Advanced Art room. That was until he noticed that Naruto was favoring one leg a bit. His happy smile became a frown in heartbeat. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?" Naruto pulled back his hood, revealing his soft golden hair that looked too sunny to go with the tired expression on his face.

"I believe the bastard is in a crappy mood," he sighed. No more really needed to be said on the subject and Haku wisely asked no further questions. The two busied themselves with setting up their workspace in a comfortable silence for the next few moments and, as usual, the very prospect of doing what he loved the most began to lift Naruto out of his melancholy state. Haku smiled as he could practically feel his friend's energy change. It was an amazing thing really, how when Naruto was happy, a whole room seemed brighter. He decided to help the phenomenon along a bit.

"Just think about it Kyuu! Next week we'll get to walk the hallowed halls of our future alma mater! I can't wait to see everything!" Haku's excitement was infectious and his exclamation achieved the desired result almost instantly. A wide grin spread over the blond's face, his eye's sparkling in a rapturous expression as his thoughts ran off into speculations on what the next year might bring.

"I wonder what the other students will be like?" he wondered aloud. This one room that they were standing in was the only place in the school where he felt comfortable at all. In here he could show his face and speak his mind. These people were his friends or at the very least they shared a common interest and they didn't ridicule or criticize. They even went so far as to respect him for his abilities. They were generally friendly and most of them had picked up on the kyuubi nickname when Haku had discovered it and began using it all the time. (Though they didn't all know about the tattoo that it originated from.) Hell even Gaara, the quiet, creepyish redhead in the back corner of the room seemed to like him ok. This place was Naruto's safe haven on the school grounds. He could hardly imagine what it would be like to go to a school where everyone was like these people, where he could feel comfortable walking around an entire huge campus.

"I suppose they would be a lot like us...Well mostly anyway, in the ways that count. You know what I mean?" Naruto hadn't actually been expecting an answer and was jolted out of his mental meandering at Haku's voice.

"Oh! I said that out loud, didn't I? He laughed sheepishly, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head. Haku smiled wryly and shook his head at the blond.

"You're so weird."

"Hey! Coming from you..." Naruto's good natured retort was cut off abruptly when a light blond blur suddenly glomped him out of nowhere.

"Kyuubi chan! Just the person I've been looking for!" Naruto squirmed around enough to get a look at the thing that had wrapped itself around him so thoroughly. He found himself looking into pastel blue eyes, much too closely.

"Ino? You need something don't you?" he asked in a slow and careful voice almost as if he were dealing with an irritable bear.

"Must be something big." Haku snickered. "I've never seen anyone suck up quite so...forcefully."

"Quiet you!" Ino sent him a glare, but it was rather ineffective as he could see the contained humor behind it. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of conducting a business negotiation?"

"Oh, you're already in the middle huh? You must be very confident." Haku was grinning like a Cheshire cat now.

"Shut up! This is really serious!" Ino whined. Naruto decided to step in.

"Ok Ino, I'm listening. What is it?" he asked as he worked his way out of her grasp.

"Ok, I have this amazing idea for a photo series. It's going to look so cool and I've already got almost everything worked out for it. The only thing I need now...is a model."

"Are you kidding?!" Naruto's eye's were comically huge all of a sudden. "You 'must' be kidding! You couldn't possibly be suggesting..."

"It doesn't involve nudity. I promise! Well not full nudity."

"That's not the point!...Not that I would 'ever' pose nude for you."

"Then there's some hope that you'd pose otherwise?" Ino clasped her hands and batted her lashes at Naruto, putting on her most innocent face as she inwardly enjoyed his stuttered back-pedaling.

"It seems it really is the point," muttered Haku with a grin. He was greatly enjoying himself and wasn't bothered in the least at the glare he received from both parties.

"Come on Kyuubi," Ino coaxed in a soothing voice as she rubbed a hand in circles over his back like a mother comforting her child. "You're the perfect person for the job. I need somebody really interesting and unique. You can do this. Really! It won't be anything too hard."

"Why don't you get Haku to do it? He's unique right? And he's pretty enough to be a model." Naruto pointed a finger rudely in his friend's face as he argued. Haku's eye's crossed at the finger almost touching his nose before he glanced up at Ino and lifted a brow. He spread his arms out to the sides and spun a slow circle, showing himself off while Ino looked him over, pretending to consider it. Truthfully Haku did have a very pretty face and his style could definitely be called 'unique' if one were polite enough to word it that way. He was currently wearing a kilt over a pair of faded jeans with a forest green muscle shirt under a full sleeve, fishnet shirt. The 'look' was topped off by copious amounts of his own odd parody of 'bling'. Alas for Naruto, Ino just didn't think Haku was the right kind of unique for her project. She had pictured Naruto in the images from the second the idea had been conceived. Naruto was so expressive and she wanted to capture some of his personality with her photos. Besides, in Ino's opinion, Haku's prettiness was no substitute for Naruto's...arresting features.

"Hmmm...Nope. It definitely has to be you." Naruto's face fell and she almost felt sorry for him. She knew he was shy but it was about time he started getting over that right? "Oh stop being such a baby! It's not going to hurt you." Oops! It seemed this was the wrong approach to take. Naruto had stiffened, his shoulders thrown back stubbornly.

"No! I won't do it. I absolutely refuse and that's final!" he exclaimed in a firm tone. "You'll just have to find someone else Ino." Ino took in the determined look on his face and decided it was time to bring out the big guns. Taking a deep breath she let her eye's tear up a bit and stuck her lower lip out in a pout, careful not to exaggerate too much.

"You know it's my dream to be a professional photographer," she practically sobbed. "This project is going to be my major portfolio piece. The school doesn't take just anyone you know. It has to be absolutely perfect. I 'need' your help! My 'entire future' is riding on this! What will I do?!" Now the sobs were coming full force. Naruto's eye's had widened in horror.

"Don't cry! I'm sorry! I'll do it! God just don't cry!"

"You will?" Ino sniffled

"Yeah I'll do it." Naruto crossed his arms and glared off at the wall. He knew he was being manipulated but his own dreams for the future were so important to him that the very thought of costing someone else theirs was too much to handle. Plus he'd always been kind of a sucker for tears. He was thrown almost completely off balance, his tough-guy-pose ruined as Ino launched herself at him once again.

"Oh thank you so much Kyuubi chan! You're my hero!"

"You are going to let me see these pictures when you're done right?" Haku's question cut off any response Naruto might have made.

"Of course," said Ino. "Someone has to critique them for me before I send them in. You can help me sort out which ones are the best shots." As Ino happily made her way back over to her work station to actually get something done this period, Haku looked at Naruto who looked like he might be about to have a nervous break down, and burst into a fit of giggles.

"You are such a softy."

"I know." Aaand he was back to sighing.

(A/N; I wanted Sasuke to have a really obnoxious car so I gave him the same model from Magnum P.I. (cute no?) As far as other pairings go, they won't be getting too much of the spotlight but there will be some mention of Zabu/Haku here and there and I intend to throw Kiba and Hinata together 'cause they're cute. Awww! You know, the usual suspects. Anyhow, happy reading!)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 3

Naruto and the rest of the artists at Shuriken Studio's were taking a short but welcome break. It was Saturday afternoon and the weekends, of course, were always the busiest time for the popular tattooists. They mainly had a walk in, first-come-first-serve sort of system so they took breaks whenever they could, never knowing when they'd have the next chance. At the moment Izumo was shamelessly poking fun at one of his previous clients.

"A 'meat cleaver'! I mean seriously, this big, burly Hell's Angel wanna be actually wants a bloody meat cleaver on his forearm!" Everyone was chuckling at the almost constipated look on his face. "No matter what I suggested to make it look maybe a little less painfully stupid he wasn't budging one damn inch."

"Well at least the guy knew what he wanted." Genma offered. Izumo and Kotetsu shared a look and scoffed in perfect sync.

"Yeah right. I'd say it's probably more like what he hopes his biker buddies would find impressive. You'd think people would hit a certain age and grow a brain. This stuff is permanent people!" Izumo was about to really take off into a full rant so Naruto stepped in.

"I agree. You should only get something that honestly speaks to you. That's exactly why I waited so long."

"Heheh, if a bloody meat cleaver 'speaks' to this guy then I don't think I want to get to know him better. You know what I'm sayin'?" said Kotetsu with a mock frightened look.

"In any case," Izumo continued, "the thing looked so bad when it was finished, I didn't want to even admit that it was my work. Needless to say, I certainly wasn't going to take any pictures of that one."

"Oh the Horrible Cliche!!" Kotetsu wailed and the group shared a good laugh. When they had quieted once more Naruto remembered something.

"Speaking of pictures, there's this girl I know from my art class who's into photography. She wants to be a professional one day so she's getting together a portfolio and she asked 'me' to be the model for the series she's doing."

"Alright! You're gonna be a model!" hooted Kotetsu.

"You 'are' going to do it right?" asked Izumo

"Of course he is!" Kotetsu retorted. "When a pretty girl wants to take your picture you don't say no. Wait.. She is a hotty right? Aaah, she is isn't she?" He gave Naruto a wink and a little nudge with his elbow.

"It's not like that. Not with Ino."

"Sure it's not." Izumo had joined in the teasing. "Girl meets boy. Girl asks to take boy's picture. Girl gets boy off alone somewhere for a little one-on-one photo session, probably involving a wardrobe change here and there or perhaps no wardrobe at all. What could 'possibly' happen there?"

"Oooooh!! Kyuubi, you sly fox! Are gonna be posing 'au naturel'?!" A blush began to creep over Naruto's face while Kotetsu leered.

"...Well..not completely," he mumbled.

"What was that?!" crowed his perverted colleague. Kotetsu's grin threatened to split his face in two. Naruto refused to meet his eyes, directing his own reddened face off to the far wall.

"She promised I wouldn't have to actually get naked..." The fully embarrassed little blond trailed off, his face growing even hotter as both Kotetsu and Izumo cracked up into wild fits of laughter. Thankfully Genma's calm voice broke through the din providing a most welcome distraction.

"So I take it then that you have actually agreed to do it?"

"Yeah, she really needed my help and after all the agonizing I did over my own portfolio, I know how important this is to her. I just can't leave her hanging."

"You're a good person Kyuu and it probably won't be so bad. Just relax, don't worry about it too much and you might have some fun." With that, Genma moved on to take care of the client who had just come in for a piercing.

"Yeah. You'll have lot's of 'fun'," Kotetsu managed around his sniggering.

"Seriously though," said Izumo getting a hold of himself now, "he's right. You should just go ahead and do it. It's not that big of a deal."

"Yeah, you'll do just fine." Kotetsu agreed with a friendly slap to the blond's back. The jingle of the door sounded and Naruto felt himself shoved towards it. "Get that will you Kyuu."

"Yeah, sure." Naruto looked up and barely managed to conceal his surprise at the familiar face at the door. It was Inuzuka Kiba, one of the Uchiha's friends. Naruto swiftly reminded himself that Kiba wouldn't recognize him. He smiled politely and greeted the other boy like he would any client.

"Hey man, welcome to Shuriken. I'm Kyuubi. What can we do for you?"

"There's this tattoo I want to get... You're pretty young aren't you?" The other boy was looking him over with an almost suspicious expression. Naruto was kind of used to this comment though and he simply leaned on his elbows over the counter and grinned in amusement.

"Don't worry. It doesn't seem to affect my skill level," He assured. "If you'd like though, you can look over some of my past work." Without bothering to wait for an answer he pulled his binder out from under the counter and plopped it down in front of Kiba. The brunet blinked and looked down at the name 'Kyuubi' printed on the cover, then with a shrug, proceeded to open the binder and look through. Within moments he was exclaiming his admiration.

"Aw this one's awesome! You're really good dude!" Naruto smiled at the open honesty of his voice and expression and thought he might not be a bad guy.

"Thank you," he answered. "So you were saying you had an idea of what you wanted?"

"Oh yeah! I want a dog." Kiba dug into his pocket and pulled out a photograph, looking at the image fondly before handing it to the blond behind the counter. "My family owns a kennel and my parents are breeders I plan to take over one day. I guess you could say I'm a bit dog obsessed but I come by it honestly right?" Naruto found the boy's jovial attitude infectious and grinned back at him before looking down at the picture. It was an image of a large and very handsome dog. "That's Akamaru. He's the first dog that was all my own responsibility and he's my best friend."

"So you've decided to immortalize him then?" Kiba nodded enthusiastically and Naruto's smile broadened as he took another look at the picture. Akamaru was mostly brown and white and maybe a little rough around the edges. He seemed like the perfect companion for the wild looking brunet. It made Naruto think of something he'd heard about close pets looking like their owners. He chuckled a little to himself at the thought that the animal probably acted a lot like Kiba too.

"I want it to be realistic and I want him to look...uh..well not like rabid scary but sort of intimidating you know."

Naruto told Kiba that if he wanted to get right down to it, he could just do a quick sketch or two to confirm the dog's pose and expression and then freehand the image onto Kiba in pen before starting. Kiba agreed and soon enough, he was looking at the pen drawing on his chest in the mirror to see if he liked the size and placement.

"Ok. Yeah, I think that's gonna look really good. So are we gonna start now?" Kiba was practically hopping up and down and Naruto was enjoying his excitement.

"If you want to," he laughed. He sat Kiba back down and got ready to start. "You don't seem the least bit nervous. No one would know you were a first timer."

"I'm too pumped to be nervous! I've been wanting to get this for a while."

"I can tell," Naruto replied as he set out the ink he'd be needing. "I like doing this kind of tattoo. The image is obviously important to you and I can be sure that you'll never end up regretting it. It annoys me when someone gets something as personal as a tattoo for the sole purpose of impressing someone else."

"Not a crowd pleaser?"

"Never deliberately anyway." And with that Naruto began his work. They continued to chat amiably over the buzz of the gun, covering a surprising variety of subjects. At one point Kiba mentioned his friend Sasuke and Naruto bit back a comment, remembering that as far as Kiba knew "Kyuubi" had never met his friend. However, when Kiba spoke about Sasuke's horrid behavior yesterday, Naruto couldn't help stating his moral opinion.

"I may not know much about this guy but I think that it's wrong for him to take out his problems on you or anybody else."

"Well everyone gets into a bad mood now and then. You know how it is," Kiba defended.

"There is never a good excuse to hurt or belittle other people." Naruto's tone was adamant. "You never know just what kind of damage you may be doing, and either way, absolutely everyone deserves a certain amount of respect. If your friend is acting like a jerk then maybe you should stand up to him. If you can't talk to him seriously about it, then maybe he's not a very good friend." Kiba looked like he wanted to sigh but with the blond still working on his chest he was trying to keep still.

"You're probably right. It's just that Sasuke's rich and good looking so he's popular and nobody wants to step on his toes." Naruto grinned wryly at this admission.

"Bah! Popularity is overrated. In a few years your high school 'rep.' will be nothing more than a memory anyway!" Kiba smiled back at the blond before falling into a ponderous silence. Naruto just kept working quietly for the next few minutes, allowing him to think in peace. A part of him was always secretly amazed at the number of people who needed to have such a seemingly logical conclusion pointed out to them. But no matter. The fact that he was thinking it over at all was enough.

Kiba looked up when the buzzing noise suddenly stopped all together and the excitement from before, visibly took him over once again.

"Is it done?!" Naruto smiled brightly and nodded and Kiba jumped up and practically skipped to the big mirror.

"Oh wow dude that's awesome! It really looks just like him."

"I'm glad you like it," Naruto replied happily.

"I love it! Seriously, thank you so much! You know, it didn't even really hurt. That was pretty surprising. I kept waiting for more pain."

"That's because I was trained by the best. Raidou's kick ass good." Kiba smiled to himself. This guy wouldn't even just take the credit. He had to focus the attention on someone else. Naruto quickly rang him up and took the cash.

"Thanks again Kyuubi. You did a great job and it was cool talking to you too."

"Aaaw I like you too Kiba!" Naruto cooed humorously. "You're a good guy. Come on back anytime alright."

"Cool, see ya." And with that, the newly tattooed Kiba disappeared out the door. Raidou passed right by him on the way in.

"Hey Raidou," the blond greeted. "Did you get all your errands done?"

"Yes. There was a hell of a line up at the bank though. How's everything been here. You doing ok?"

"Another satisfied customer!"

(A/N; Yeah I know Sasuke's a real prick but I'll be rounding out his character. Er..I'm working on it. The thing is..he's just funnier that way! You gotta admit, it made for a hell of an entrance. There'll be a bit of Itachi in the next chap. I promise. XD)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 4

On Monday morning, Sasuke met up with some of his friends and immediately began unloading his lingering frustration from the weekend. Said friends acted appropriately sympathetic but most of them really didn't understand what exactly he was complaining so bitterly about. In fact, most siblings that didn't get along tended to have much more dramatic blowouts than what Sasuke was describing. His family troubles seemed pretty tame, and they came with a Ferrari! From their perspective, it seemed like a pretty sweet deal. Truthfully they were rather enjoying his ranting. Sasuke was oblivious to these feelings, too caught up in his own irritation at the memory of those few moments right before his brother left yesterday.

-----------------------

Itachi was busy packing his bag, preparing for the two and a half hour drive back to his school when his little brother planted himself in the doorway to his bedroom, leaning casually against the frame.

"Did you enjoy your visit?" the younger boy asked sarcastically. Itachi didn't bother to look up and the answer came in a bored monotone.

"It was rather boring. I don't think I'll be back again for a while." Sasuke didn't really want Itachi to come back any time soon but the man's careless attitude irked him somehow.

"Good riddance," he muttered. Itachi did look up then and smiled in that condescending way that Sasuke hated with a passion.

"So childish little brother."

"Childish?!" If Sasuke grit his teeth any harder they might just shatter.

"Mmm, you don't really seem to want your parents' attention. They tell me you're rarely at home and that when you are, you try your best to ignore their existence. Yet you can't stand it when I come home and that attention becomes mine. It's like you never quite left the nursery isn't it?" Sasuke was livid! Every muscle was so tensed that he couldn't move even to speak.

"You're the one that focuses on me you know. It 'seems' like everyone talks about me constantly to you, because you search for it. Those are the only words you'll pay any attention to."

"Don't you talk to me like you know everything," Sasuke spat, his tongue having finally loosened. "I don't give a crap about you! I have a life."

"Yes, and what has it been based around? Why do you cherish your mountains of 'friends' and admirers so? Popularity was one thing I didn't have in spades in high school. Perhaps that was your initial reason for becoming the social butterfly. You really shouldn't let the measure of your achievement in life center on a bunch of other people Sasuke. Those people will come and go. High school is almost over little brother. Your friends will be going off to make their own achievements. You should be seriously thinking about your future. What are your goals?"

"Oh just shut up! You are such a presumptuous arrogant Bastard!" Sasuke was almost shouting now, the infamous Uchiha control slipping visibly. Itachi smiled at him once again, which just pissed him off even more.

"Well if that's true then from what I've heard, we have a lot in common."

"Don't. Go. There," Sasuke ground out, "and don't you dare preach to me! Not all of us can have 'talent' oozing from our every pore!"

"You simply don't 'know' what you're good at little brother. You've never put in the necessary time and thought to figure it out. It's probably right under your nose."

Without another word, Sasuke turned and stormed off to his own room where he spent over two hours writing furiously in his personal journal to try and calm himself after that frustrating encounter.

---------------------------

Kiba, Kankuro and Sakura managed to stifle a laugh at the "presumptuous, arrogant bastard" part but one of the fangirls shadowing them wasn't quite fast enough. Sasuke whirled around.

"Get out of my sight," he hissed. His glare was truly frightening and the unfortunate girl hurried off without argument. Afterward Sasuke seemed to have run out of steam somewhat and just settled down to sulk for a bit. Kiba decided to take this opportunity to show off his new tattoo.

"Well my weekend was pretty kick ass. I went out and got me a tattoo on Saturday! Check this out. Isn't it great?" he said as he pulled up his shirt to show them his chest.

"Oh is that Akamaru?" asked Sakura. Kiba nodded and she moved in closer to inspect the image. "This is really good Kiba. Where did you go to have it done?"

"Shuriken Studios. The guy was really young but he was an awesome artist and really cool too. Just look how uniform it is. My sister went to this guy who scarred her up pretty nasty for her first one."

Naruto had entered the school ground just as Kiba was lifting his shirt. He grinned secretly at the sight. As he got closer he could hear Kiba talking him up and all the others exclaiming over his work. It was an odd feeling to know that this particular group of people were complimenting him. Of course they had no idea he was so close by. The bell rang and the whole group reluctantly began to make their way toward the entrance. Nobody else noticed the hooded figure moving next to them, but Sasuke must have had some kind of Naruto radar. The next thing the blond knew, he was on his knees in the only puddle on the school grounds that hadn't dried up.

"Watch your step dobe," the Uchiha said with a smirk. Naruto just sighed and the rest of the Sasuke posse laughed at him before turning back to the building and forgetting all about it. Kiba made to follow but then he paused. After a moment's hesitation he turned around and walked back to Naruto offering him his hand. Naruto blinked in surprise but quickly took the offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"Hey, sorry about that man. He's in a pissy mood again. Don't let him get you down ok." With a smile and a quick wave the boy bounded off to catch up with the others. Naruto was left standing there, feeling surprisingly pleasant considering the fact that his pants were wet from the knee down.

"Yup," he thought."I like that guy. Indeed I do."

Later on during lunch hour, Naruto and Haku along with their other two friends, Hinata and Shikamaru were sitting in a little ramen bar called Ichiraku, not far from the school. Naruto was telling them about Kiba coming in for a tattoo on Saturday and the long conversation they'd had.

"And then this morning the Bastard pushed me into a puddle, (which is why I'm still damp. It's very annoying) and Kiba actually stopped and helped me up. He even apologized for Uchiha's behavior! Can you believe it?"

"Wow, I guess he's a pretty nice guy after all," said Haku.

"Actually, he's always been nice to me," Hinata informed quietly, a pretty blush staining her cheeks.

"I think the odds on that many people being heartless assholes is pretty slim really," added Shikamaru. "That Uchiha kid just holds people back. Trying to keep him happy would be so troublesome."

"Maybe they're 'all' redeemable." Naruto smiled brightly at the idea.

"Sure," Haku giggled. "Can't you just see it? The Amazing Kyuubi, changing the world one tattoo at a time."

"Kyuubi CHAN!" All four heads shot up at the call. Ino was just coming through the door. Having 'obviously' caught sight of Naruto, she skipped over and latched on to his arm. "You don't have to work tonight do you?"

"..Uuh...no," he answered warily.

"Great! Then we can get started right away. You'll have to come home with me right after school because I'll need the daylight for a few shots. Don't worry, I'll feed you supper. Maybe you could stay the night too if it runs too late..." For a split second the perverted insinuations of his co-workers raced through Naruto's head, but then he immediately shook them off, cursing those idiots for making him think gross things. Meanwhile Ino had just continued to chatter on. They had all finished eating and were digging out their money and preparing to head back to school. Naruto tuned back in just in time to catch Ino saying something about ropes and body paint and froze in horrified apprehension, until he realized she was talking about a previous project. He sighed in relief allowing his body to relax a little but the seed had been planted. He was even more nervous about what Ino might have him do than before.

"Oh God somebody help me!" he whimpered pitifully. Only Haku had heard and he chuckled at the poor blond.

"Don't worry so much. Ino wouldn't do anything to freak you out too badly. You'd pass out cold and then you'd be no help to her at all!"

"I suppose there's no escaping anyway," Naruto lamented. "We have the last class together."

As they came within sight of the school Ino took her leave of them to go talk to another friend of hers before classes resumed.

"Bye guys," she called. "See you after school Kyuubi!" Naruto heaved a sigh.

"Well, so much for my day off."

(A/N; Well, there was a bit of an intro for Itachi, even if it is in flashback form. Next it's on to Ino's photography project. Yay!)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 5

Tick,... tick,... tick,...tick,... The sound was becoming positively maddening in the quiet classroom, to one person at least. Naruto sat fidgeting nervously in his seat, counting the seconds until three o'clock. It seemed endless and yet not nearly long enough. He didn't know which was worse. Honestly the thought of time stopping for a bit held a certain appeal, but on the other hand, the waiting was deadly.

At four minutes to three people began to pack up their things, getting ready to leave. Naruto chanced a quick glance toward Ino. The blond girl looked right back at him and gave a beaming smile. She was practically bouncing with impatience and excitement. Naruto swallowed heavily. When the bell finally rang the poor boy gave a startled jump, then calmed himself and stood slowly. The rest of the class erupted into noisy chatter and made a hasty break for the door. Naruto just stood still until Ino grabbed his arm and dragged him out, squealing about how much fun they were going to have.

Ino had a big house. Not filthy rich big, but her family was obviously fairly well to do. The decorative windows of the entrance were spotless and sparkled in the sun and the yard was perfectly groomed. An equally well groomed cat sat on the front step. Naruto was almost surprised that there wasn't the typical white picket fence. The driveway was empty and Ino confirmed that her parents weren't home yet as they walked inside.

"Hold on a sec while I go get my equipment. Do you want me to take your bag?"

"Uh yeah sure," Naruto answered absently. His attention had already wandered to the many family pictures on the wall in the hallway. Apparently they were 'all' a bunch of shutter bugs. He was surprised to find that Ino had a little brother. She had never mentioned him. If the pictures were recent, as they seemed to be, then he must be only around four or five years old.

"Alright, c'mon out back," came Ino's voice from behind. "We'll get these ones over with first."

Walking back out into the sunlight through the patio doors in the dining room, Naruto found the backyard was as nicely appointed as the front. There was a medium sized in ground pool and across the yard there was also a little man-made pond and a mini waterfall surrounded with thriving greenery. Ino headed straight for this pond.

"Nice," Naruto commented.

"Yeah, Mom's all into the landscaping. She calls this a 'serenity pool'," Ino explained as she began setting up her camera. "She made it herself and accidentally cut herself with an exacto knife when she was shaping the styrofoamy stuff. Only my mom would slit her wrist while making a 'serenity pool'." Naruto's eyes widened and he loosed an involuntary laugh. Ino just laughed along.

"I take it you enjoyed the irony of it?"

"Enough that she accused me of being insensitive," Ino admitted. Naruto gave a shake of his head. "What?" she asked innocently. "She missed the vein."

"Oh now that really did sound morbid."

"Anyway, moving right along...the series is going to be about reflections as I told you before." Naruto looked away a bit guiltily. Maybe he should been listening earlier? "For the first few, I've already set up a mirror, face up in the water. I need you to take off your shirt and pants and get on top of the mirror."

At the look the boy gave her, she assured him that she'd already tested it to make sure it would hold steady. Naruto reluctantly unzipped his hoody and glared at the resulting cat-call from Ino. She just laughed at his displeasure. Deciding to ignore her, he turned his back and lifted off his tee-shirt. Ino gasped loudly as the tattooed tails were revealed. She had heard about it from Haku but this was her first time actually seeing it. Truthfully she had almost forgotten about this aspect of his physique and was quickly working this addition into her mental images of the photo's.

"Wow Kyuubi! That's incredible! This is going to be even better than I imagined!" Ino absolutely couldn't contain herself. "You look so cool!" she squealed. Naruto stared silently at her beaming face, a little overwhelmed by her exuberant reaction. Clearing his throat and fighting down his blush, he reached to unfasten his pants and a moment later, was standing in his black boxers. Suddenly he found himself wishing he had longer boxers.

"Oh good, they're black. That will fit in well," Ino approved. Then she noticed a couple of tail tips below the hem of the boxers on the left leg and gave a low whistle. "Woooh it keeps going. I'm tempted to pull the boxers off too now. Good thing I'm a nice person huh?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm just going to..." he motioned helplessly toward the water. Taking the hint, Ino switched into director mode.

"Alright then, first I want you on your knees."

"Yeah I'll just bet you do!" Naruto muttered and Ino laughed in surprise but made no comment.

"Ok, hands down and look at me." Ino knelt down level with him and looked through the camera. She was pleased with the effect. He really looked like he was resting on top of the water. She shifted her angle to properly frame both Naruto and his reflection in the mirror below him. "Could you tilt your head down more and look up with just your eyes? Yes that's perfect. Now hold it. Good now lift your shoulders and bring your hands closer together. Ok spread your knees out more." Ino's shutter kept clicking as she gave out directions. "Let's try some different expressions. Could you smirk for me?"

"You want me to smirk?" Ino took a quick shot of his bewildered expression.

"Yeah. You know. Pretend your Sasuke." Naruto scowled and Ino took a picture of that too. Then he rolled his eyes before managing a pretty bang-on impression of the Uchiha. Ino giggled at the sight and the shutter clicked again.

"Hold on. Let me try something," said Ino setting the camera aside. She looked through her "bag o' stuff" and pulled out a cup. She dipped it quickly into the pond and before the boy could ask what she was doing, she poured the water over his head.

"Ino!" Naruto squeaked at the sudden cold (well, cool, but whatever). Ino ignored it and started messing with his hair. Then she splashed his chest and shoulders too causing another squeak. She sat back and resumed taking pictures. Naruto looked kind of annoyed but Ino decided she liked that look.

A few minutes later, Naruto was on his back, still on the mirror his face turned to the side to look at the camera. His profile was being reflected right next to his face. Ino took several shots, messing with his hair between some of them and having him change the positions of his arms. Then she reached into her bag once more and pulled out a bottle of bubble solution, smiling and sticking out her tongue at Naruto's curious look. She blew some bubbles at Naruto and took some more pictures. Standing up a moment later, she looked down over the boy through the camera but she didn't like the angle so she told him to wait and ran off to fetch a little wooden table from the pool area. From the top of the table, some more pictures were taken of Naruto, looking of to the side and then facing up, rainbow bubbles floated over him and the sky reflected below.

By the time he was allowed to get out of the pond, or off it rather, Naruto had relaxed and begun to think maybe this really wasn't so bad after all. He wondered why Ino was wrapping her camera up in plastic. After a brief explanation, he found himself under water in the pool trying to hold his breath without really looking like he was holding his breath as Ino had requested. At least he could see if he was doing it right. He was looking up into the mirror above him, his hands resting on it as though he was trying to push through. Ino was in the pool as well, moving around him and snapping pictures from every angle.

Just as they were climbing out of the pool, the patio door opened and a little blond boy that Naruto recognized from the pictures in the hall came running out yelling, "Ino! Hi Ino! We're home! Ino Ino Ino!" The boy stopped short when he saw Naruto. "Oh hi! I'm Kenji."

"Well it's nice to meet you Kenji," said Naruto with a friendly smile. "I'm Naruto." Kenji's gaze became somewhat suspicious.

"Are you Ino's boyfriend?" he asked. Naruto choked

"Kenji ! He's the boy I told you about. I'm taking pictures of him remember?"

"But you said his name was Kyuubi," the little boy argued.

"Oh!" Naruto chuckled "Kyuubi is my nickname. That's what my friends call me. You can call me Kyuubi if you want to."

"Ok." Suddenly Kenji noticed the markings on his body. "Wow! Is that a real tattoo?!" Before he new it Naruto had a small boy crawling all over him looking over every tail at ultra close range. Naruto laughed genially. He would never have allowed an adult to manhandle him but he really loved children. They were so... free and open. Ino was laughing along and taking pictures.

"Yeah it's real alright," the nine tailed boy confirmed when the kid had settled down a bit. "I make tattoos for other people all the time. That's my job."

"Woah! That's a cool job!" The kid was sitting on his lap now his eyes wide and nose almost touching Naruto's. Naruto grinned and Kenji grinned back. Ino snapped a picture and then stopped and blinked at them. What an amazing shot! Both were blond and blue eyed, the older one more vibrantly so and darker skinned, but both were gleaming in the sunlight, their faces tilted at just the same angle and their expressions so perfectly happy and playful. Ino couldn't wait to see how the picture came out.

"Well Kyuu, I guess it's time to break for dinner. That's all for the sunlight shots for now anyway."

"For now?"

"I may have an inspiration later," Ino shrugged.

After a quick meal, filled with endless chatter from Kenji, Naruto was dragged down to the basement, where one corner of the room had been artfully drape in black fabric. There were spotlights in different sizes and intensities and various shades off to the side ready for use. Ino had her model strip down to his underwear once again. In the meantime she busied herself with hanging up something like a huge mobile of glass and chrome balls in a few different sizes, hanging at all different heights from fishing line. She had Naruto stand in the middle and wait while she set up the lighting to her satisfaction. Naruto was run through what seemed to him like about a million poses.

"Ok that's great. Now turn around and look back over your shoulder...Good, one more second. Can you maybe raise an eyebrow at me? Heheh I love that."

"Of course you do baby. I'm so smooth!" Naruto joked. The shutter kept going as they laughed.

"Sure thing Tiger. Now I want you to lift up your arm..No the left, and reach up like you're trying to catch that glass one right above you. Yeah that's right, look up at it. Great, hold that." She shifted her own position a few times, then got him to hold one volleyball sized chrome ball between his hands and stare into it.

"Is this a lawn ornament?"

"Yup."

"Huh, nice idea."

"Thanks... Could you move back out here for a sec?" The 'mobile' was taken down and the ball he'd been holding before was cut off. She handed it to him and made him sit on the fabric lined floor with his knees up and gaze into the ball again. "Alright, just curl up a bit more." The bubble solution was brought out again and a moment later he was surrounded by bubbles, which Ino decided required another change to the lighting for more dramatic shadows. Afterwards she walked up and took the ball from him. A large mirror was strategically placed behind him to make it look as though he were sitting back to back with his twin. A little while later he was kneeling with his back to the camera, facing himself in the mirror. One hand held a small, low wattage light, that Ino said would not be seen in the photo. She just needed a light source there. The fingers of the other hand were tracing the line of his jaw in the mirror.

"This is pretty narcissistic you know."

"Shh, you're supposed to be looking intense...Actually narcissistic is good. Go with that." Naruto tried to look smitten with his reflection but he kept cracking up. After few more senarios they finally wrapped things up. It was getting late but Ino's father had offered to drive Naruto home. He helped Ino clean up a little first

"You know as embarrassed as I was at first, feeling like some kind of stupid underwear model..."

"Hey!"

"..I have to admit I can see the artistic merit in all this. I'm sure your portfolio will be very impressive."

"I think so too, but I'm going to be biting my nails until I have them all developed and I know they came out alright."

"Don't worry Ino. They'll turn out just fine," Naruto reassured with a smile.

"Yeah you're probably right. Actually that went really well. I'm thinking I might enter some of these photo's in the annual school Art Show."

"...Say what?"

(A/N; So there you go. I chose Ino's theme based mostly on what could be described pretty easily. I hope it was effective. There'll be more of your 'favorite' Uchiha in the next chap. But now you gotta wait 'til tomorrow)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 6

"It's not that big of a deal you know?"

"Of course it's a big deal!" Naruto frowned at Haku. "She was supposed to just send the pictures to some faceless bigwigs that I never have to think about..ever. Nobody said anything about exposing myself to this entire school full of nasty, judgmental teenagers!" Haku smirked slowly

"Oh? So what happened to 'maybe they're all redeemable'?"

"Well they haven't been redeemed 'yet' have they?" the blond pouted.

"Look, even if Ino does enter the pictures in the show, what does it matter? The show is at the very end of the year, there wouldn't be time enough for it to have much of any affect on your high school career. Personally, I think it would be very interesting to see everyone's reactions." An oddly evil sort of expression crossed Haku's face. He noticed Naruto staring, wide eyed in mock fear and rubbed his hands together, cackling madly.

"You need to get some help," Naruto deadpanned

"Wow it really 'is' getting bad. He's completely humorless!" was Haku's response. Finally Naruto cracked a smile. "Ah there we are!"exclaimed Haku. "Come on, aren't you at least a little bit curious?"

"Well I guess it could be kind of entertaining. I just have a slight fear of drama, but maybe you're right, it shouldn't really pose too much of a problem so close to graduation day."

"Yeah, this place has given you a lot of grief and now we're going to be leaving it behind forever. You've gone with the flow for three years, so you should go out with a bang! You deserve to throw caution to the wind for once."

"I suppose I could look at it as a jump start to my new life right?"

"Right on, Kyuubi! Nothing will be quite the same anymore. Things are finally going to change for the better. We've got to celebrate! Let loose and be free! You should show up at that art show in nothing but a pair of assless leather chaps!"

"Haku!!" The two stared at each other for a moment, one dumbfounded and the other grinning from ear to ear. Then suddenly the dam burst and both were laughing hysterically. For long minutes, they had to lean on each other for support as they laughed hard enough to hurt. Finally they pulled away, heaving for air and Naruto wiped the tears of mirth from his face.

"God I needed that!" he puffed "Thanks Haku."

"Don't mention it. You know, come to think of it, the Art Show isn't too far away now. We should probably get to thinking about our own entries. If you want to do something new for it then you'll have to get started on it soon."

"I don't have any idea of what I want to do yet. I'll have to go on the search for inspiration. I can't believe it's so near already."

"Maybe our trip to the University will get the creative juices flowing," Haku suggested.

"Oh! I had almost forgotten about it! Ino was distracting me." Haku raised a brow.

"Was she now?"

"Stop that! You know what I meant."

"Well I can't be sure can I?" he teased his blond friend. "I mean 'I' wouldn't touch her but you're technically bi, right?" Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"I may think that both genders are attractive in their own way but that doesn't mean I'd jump on anyone that happened to walk by! Anyway weren't we talking about the tour tomorrow?"

"Yeah I've gotten you a bus ticket to get there but you'll have to buy yourself one for the way back. We have to be at the station by nine o'clock. It's two and a half hours in a car but the bus takes three hours. That should put us in Konoha by noon. The tour starts at one. We should have plenty of time."

"Right then. Nine o'clock."

----------------------------------------------

Two boys stepped nervously onto the campus of the Konoha University of Fine Arts. The University that they were hoping desperately to attend one day soon. Joining all the other nameless people who were milling about the main front entrance, they looked about in awe. The school was far from being a new establishment but the building's facade had been modernized. The design was clean had a certain simplicity without being boring. The bottom three feet of the wall was smooth, deep pinkish-brown marble. Above that, a subtle pattern had been created from granite and stucco in similar warm tones. Contrasting color was brought to the look with some very unique stained glass windows in the big double doors and the sidelights. The University logo, a stylized leaf with a spiral in the center was etched in granite above the entrance and the line of the roof was curved rather than straight. The lawns were nicely landscaped with some Japanese Maples lining the front by the road and a few cherry trees growing here and there. There were also some interesting sculptures that were nothing like the stodgy old lions and things that graced the grounds of the average, older university. Naruto and Haku were most impressed.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" asked Naruto "Do we go in or just wait here?"

"This entrance is the designated meeting place. I guess these other people are here for the tour as well." Naruto hopped up onto the steps and tried to peak in through the stained glass. Of course this didn't work so well and he reached out to test the handle. At that precise moment the door swung open, unbalancing the poor blond. A hand reached out to steady him but when Naruto looked up to apologize, he saw...Uchiha? Instantly he jerked away pulling his arm harshly from the man's grasp and stumbling back against Haku. Dark eyes looked sharply at the hooded boy, curious about his odd reaction. Then the man cleared his throat.

"Hello my name is Itachi. I assume you are all here for the tour. I will be your guide today." The voice was deep and rich, Naruto noticed. He didn't 'sound' like Sasuke at all and now that he took more time to look, he noticed that this person was taller, older and there were some differences about the face also. He felt a little bit silly.

"But can you blame me?" he thought to himself. "Even now the resemblance is obvious."

"Kyuubi," whispered Haku, "What the heck was that? Why'd you freak out?"

"Are you kidding me?! He looks just like that Bastard Uchiha!" Suddenly Naruto noticed the feeling of eyes on him. Slowly he turned around to see their guide staring in surprise. "Ah heheh.. Wow I said that really loud didn't I?" he said sheepishly. "Sorry about that." He chanced a look at Itachi to find him smirking with amusement.

"So, you know my little brother? How interesting."

"Well...'know' might be a strong word."

"Yet you know him well enough to hate him. May I ask your name?" Haku shoved Naruto forward and pulled off his hood. Itachi's interest instantly doubled. He was extremely curious to know what exactly had happened between his brother and this stunning creature. He had never seen someone so...indescribable.

"Um, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." The way Itachi was looking him over so intensely was making the blond almost literally squirm.

"I must begin the tour now but I would be very interested in speaking with you later. I love to hear from people who think Sasuke's a bastard." Naruto smiled involuntarily at that and Itachi found himself further enchanted. What an absolutely brilliant smile!

Itachi went back to his duties, beginning with a speech about the history of the university. Somebody asked if he worked here and he explained that he was just a student. No professors had been available to join them today but he would be able to answer most any questions they may have.

"I think he likes you Kyuubi chan!" Haku whispered. Naruto blushed then blushed even more hotly as he realized he was blushing.

"H-He's probably just curious. I mean I did just practically shout out that his brother was a bastard..right?" He looked over at the tall, dark young man and saw those dark eye's glance back at him. Quickly, he averted his gaze.

"Uh huh," Haku smirked "Well I guess you'll find out later."

Thus began their expedition. The group began moving through a circuit that brought them to all of the major departments of the school. Naruto was enthralled by each department they discovered and he had lots of questions. Itachi explained a little bit about almost every fabrication process as he herded them through each department. They started out with drawing, painting and printmaking and moved on to another building for textiles jewelry, and ceramics. Sculpture had a whole building of it's own as it required so much room, with sections for casting and stone carving as well as a wood shop and a metal shop and other miscellaneous things. The school's own gallery was located in this building as well, likely so that students showing large sculptures wouldn't have to move them very far. The film and photography departments were in a building together with the art history department and the university library, which included a huge slide library and a film section as well. Itachi made sure to show the group the location of each department office and most importantly the main administration office.

Naruto asked lot's of questions about the course loads, the different possible majors and their requirements and commented about some combinations of processes he'd like to try. Normally he would never be so talkative with a group of strangers but he was just too excited to contain himself. He was too distracted to be shy at the moment and he spoke eagerly with several other people in the group, all of whom responded to his natural charisma, feeling relaxed and welcome in his presence. By the time the tour came to a close, the endearing blond had forged the tentative beginnings of several future friendships. The people he'd just met took their leave with warm farewells and wishes of good luck. Naruto smiled and waved happily, hoping he would in fact be accepted to this university and see some of them again.

Itachi watched the small blond boy as he interacted with the rest of the group. He'd never seen anything quite like it. He thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm the boy exuded and it seemed, he wasn't the only one. It was as if this one person's energy could affect everyone in his immediate vicinity. Itachi had led a couple of other tours but he'd never had such an upbeat and comfortable crowd. Naruto and his friend were the only ones left now. They were looking at the student work that was displayed in some cases on the wall. Itachi actually cracked a smile at the blond's expression. The boy was completely absorbed.

"So, do you feel ready now, to make your course selections?" Itachi asked.

"Oh, I want to do so many things! It all looks so interesting. I'm going to have to really think it over awhile longer. But actually I haven't even been accepted yet."

"Don't listen to him," Haku broke in. "He's definitely going to be accepted. He's ridiculously talented so it's just a matter of time.."

"Haku, you don't know that for sure!" Haku scoffed

"Of course I do. You should see his work. It's amazing."

"Really?" Itachi directed his question to Naruto and took in the adorable blush creeping over the oddly scarred cheeks with great amusement.

"Uh.. well, I..I don't.."

"So modest, " he teased subtly. "Perhaps you'd be willing to explain it to me over coffee. I would still like to hear your story about my little brother as well." Before Naruto could respond, Haku jumped in.

"Well I really should be going. Zabuza will be waiting for me. But Naruto could stay anyway. He could always catch the next bus."

"Eh? Haku?"

"See you tomorrow Kyuubi! Have fun!" With a wicked grin and a wink at his friend, Haku took off. Naruto gaped helplessly at his departing form.

"Shall we?" Naruto looked back to Itachi to find the taller man politely holding out his arm for him to take. He reached out hesitantly to take the arm, his cheeks burning. Itachi looked down at the blushing blond on his arm and smirked.

(A/N; I couldn't wait any longer.XD They've finally met! (squeal) How do ya like them apples! No really, how 'do' you like it? I'm glad you guys approved of the last chapter. I agonized (probably just paranoid) over whether the way it was written fit in stylistically with the rest of the story. I feel better now, but I know you were waiting for this meeting and I hope it lived up to your expectations.)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 7

When Naruto's guide brought them to a little coffee shop just around the corner from the university campus, the first thing he asked the blond was what he wanted to order. Naruto had skipped lunch so he decided to have a sandwich with his coffee. Itachi paid for both of them, despite Naruto's protests. Itachi's second question came right after their orders were served.

"Why did your friend, call you Kyuubi? That's a rather odd nickname."

"Ah..The guys I work with started that. It's because of my tattoo."

"Oh?" Itachi's interest perked at that.

"I work at Shuriken Tattoo and Body Piercing Studios. They were so excited when I got my own tattoo that they sort of named me after it," Naruto chuckled. "I suppose it's appropriate enough, as I don't plan to get any more tattoos. It would mess up the work of art I've made on my body. Less is more, you know?"

"Hmm, does it have anything to do with that legend about the demon fox?"

"Yes, that's right. I found that story very visually inspiring. There are nine red tails that spiral out from my lower back and wrap around my body." Itachi was surprised.

"I thought you said 'less is more'? That doesn't sound much like 'less' to me," he said in a playful tone.

"Well all the more reason to stop there," the blond shrugged with a little smile. Itachi was very curious to see this tattoo. He also wanted to ask about the scars on the boy's face, but he didn't want to over-step his boundaries. Instead he decided to just ask how Naruto knew Sasuke.

"Well we go to the same high school, of course," Naruto began. "You could say that he's had a major effect on my entire three years there."

"Yes I could tell he'd made quite the impression. I'm sure most people secretly think he's a bastard but you seemed especially passionate about it. I can't help but be curious about what he's done to offend you so."

"The truth is, he's sort of made it his mission to somehow ruin almost every day for me at that school. He was positively horrible, right from the first day." Naruto's face had lost it's smile and Itachi suddenly found himself feeling inordinately angry with his brother for having caused that pained expression. Naruto had stopped eating and was absently tracing the scars on his left cheek.

"When I first entered that school in tenth grade, these scars were new. I was really upset at the time and feeling insecure about them. I didn't want anyone to see, so I hid my face under a hood all the time. I was too shy to talk to anyone either. I guess I came off as both weird and nervous...scared, the perfect victim really. Sasuke instantly started harassing me. I thought maybe if I ignored him, he would get bored and stop bothering to try, but even though I've never once reacted, he's still at it three years later...the nasty little sadist." The last part was muttered under his breath but Itachi heard it anyway and gave a smirk.

"Do you still wear the hood?"

"Yeah, unless I'm in the art room. I've gotten over the scars but I still feel the need to hide. I just don't feel comfortable with the other students. Maybe I just got too used to the hiding to let go of it."

"I wouldn't worry about the scars," said Itachi. "They definitely don't detract from your looks at all." He was looking the blond over with approval and Naruto felt a blush creeping up on him. Inwardly he cursed his inability to consciously control the flow of his own blood.

"Oh I don't worry about it now!" he assured quickly. "I even let Ino take all those pictures of me!" At this Itachi, who had been enjoying how obviously flustered the younger boy was, snapped to attention.

"Ino?" The voice was quiet and casual but his eyes were intense.

"Oh yeah, she's a friend of mine from art class. She wants to apply to this school that teaches film and photography exclusively and she asked me to help her with this series for her portfolio. It was actually really cool! I'm sure she'll get in no problem. They'd be crazy not to take her!"

"Huh, this sounds familiar somehow.." Itachi teased, having relaxed.

"Aaah...heheh." Naruto smiled sheepishly and Itachi took pity on him, asking about Ino's idea for the series. Naruto's sigh of relief was only half mocking. He then cheerfully went on to explain the pictures, joking about how ridiculous he had felt sometimes and how he'd been worried about looking like an underwear model at first. It occurred to him that he felt very much at ease talking to Itachi. He was usually more reserved around a stranger, even Haku and the guys from Shuriken had taken awhile to really get used to. He wondered if that meant he was getting better, or if it was just something about Itachi. Honestly, the older boy was great to talk to. His interest was genuine and at the same time, Naruto didn't feel pressured in the least. The conversation continued on easily, time flying without their notice. They had even discovered a mutual love of soul and blues music.

Discussing their own artwork had inevitably led to the subject of some of the tattoos that Naruto had designed and Itachi asked him how long he'd been working at Shuriken.

"Since I was fourteen. They took me on as an apprentice there, shortly after I began high school," Naruto answered. Itachi was surprised that he would have been allowed to work in a tattoo parlour of all places at such a young age. Naruto explained that he had no parents to ask and had recently been allowed to leave foster care entirely. Itachi's brow furrowed and Naruto could practically hear his mind putting two and two together.

"I know what you're thinking," he sighed "and yes it is more than a coincidence. My last 'guardian' was the one to give me these scars."

"Ah," was the simple response as Itachi chose not to make a big deal about it, much to his companion's relief. The subject was swiftly changed and blond was in good spirits a few moments later as he listened to Itachi telling stories about some of his brother's more embarrassing moments. Itachi sat back and watched the younger boy laughing heartily. Naruto had a wonderful laugh, he decided. Surely there wasn't a more joyful sound on the face of the earth, or at least this continent.

"My brother is a complete idiot," he thought aloud

"Eh?" At the sight of the blond's cutely tilted head, he let out a low chuckle.

"If he had tried to get to know something about you before jumping into anything, he probably would have asked you out by now."

"Eh? Sasuke?! No way!" Naruto looked wide eyed at the other, but Itachi just lifted one brow pointedly.

"Why would you think that?" the blond rephrased.

"For all of our differences, my brother and I have similar taste."

Naruto blinked and replayed the words in his head before catching on to the insinuation that had been made. The next moment he was blushing yet again. Pink on gold was a very nice combination Itachi mused. Where as most people could be described as 'blushing like a sunset', Itachi thought that Naruto looked more like a 'sunrise'. He found himself with an unexpected urge to paint at that moment, which was odd as Itachi hadn't painted anything in quite a while. He had begun some time ago to focus on sculpture. He like the tactile aspect of it. Perhaps Naruto's chatter about painting had simply brought it to the forefront of his mind.

A few moments later Naruto realized how long they had been sitting here and told Itachi that he had better go and catch the bus now. He wouldn't want to get stranded. Itachi assured him that if such a thing were to happen he would certainly make sure the blond was taken care of. After all it would have been Itachi's own fault. The two exchanged phone numbers and Itachi told Naruto that he sometimes went home to visit for the weekends and that the next time he came down he would like very much to get together and maybe view some of the 'wondrous talent' that his friend had praised so highly. He wished the boy luck on his application and with a final wave, the two parted ways.

Naruto just managed to catch his bus. There weren't many other passengers and he found himself a fairly isolated seat near the middle. He settled down with his headphones on, listening to Amos Lee which was perfect to doze off to. Then he proceeded to nap through most of the ride, his mind swimming with images of smirking, dark eyes.

(A/N; Keeping Itachi in character can be tricky business you know? Of course any fic where he's not trying to kill someone is technically ooc. So you have to go with what you think the younger (pre-psychotic) Itachi would have been like and they only gave you a little clip of that time to work from. Ah well, I'll just take my artistic license, and speaking of artistic, if you'd like to see a few of my pics for this story, the location is in my profile now.)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 8

The next morning Haku was waiting by the lockers for Naruto. When the blond showed up, his friend practically pounced on him.

"So?" he demanded excitedly.

"So what?" Naruto answered, feigning ignorance. Haku punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"So how did it go with 'Uchiha the elder'? Did he ask you out?"

"Not really. We just had a very nice talk."

"Sure, a 'very nice talk', and what did you talk about?"

"Oh..this and that..." Naruto turned to his friend and smiled broadly. "Did you know the Bastard was a bed wetter?" Haku's eyes widened and both boys broke down into helpless giggles at the youngest Uchiha's expense.

"Aha..heheh..ha..aah, but no seriously, c'mon, I'm dying here! What happened? I know he was totally hot for you." Pulling back one edge of Naruto's hood, Haku confirmed to his satisfaction, that the blond was blushing under there. "Hah! and you like him too! I knew it! Tell me what he said. You know what I want to hear. Skip to the good parts."

"I don't know," the blond boy teased. "I think you deserve some punishment for abandoning me like that." Haku gave him a look that said; "As if you're upset about that!" and Naruto quickly broke down.

"Ok, I like him. We had a lot in common. He was really nice and a great listener. I actually felt really comfortable around him. It's kind of weird how he's nothing like his brother... Well, almost. They do both have the same smirk." Haku laughed at this. "But it doesn't bother me when Itachi does it. I guess he's just, less malicious about it, and he's got this quiet, natural confidence while Sasuke acts like more of a show off, like he's got something to prove. Anyway, no he didn't ask me out Haku. Though I guess he did imply..a few times, that he was interested."

"Ooh really?" Haku was bouncing on his toes. "Like what? What did he say? Give me an example." The embarrassed blond gave Haku an account of his time with Itachi.

"Did he ask for your number?" Haku asked

"Yeah, we exchanged numbers before we left, and he said he wanted to see me whenever he comes home for the weekend."

"Hey! You said he didn't ask you out!"

"He didn't."

"He wants you're number. He's planning to call you. He wants to see you whenever he can make it up here." Haku was ticking things off on his fingers. "He's basically asked you out at an unspecified time," the brunet nodded sagely.

"You don't think that's a stretch?" Naruto asked sceptically.

"I'm definitely right... Kyuubi chan has an admirer!" With just a little more teasing, which Naruto found totally unnecessary, the talk finally turned to their impressions on the university.

"It was so cool! Now I'm going to be even more devastated if I don't get in."

"Would you stop that," Haku admonished. "Just think positive."

"Ok, you're right. I won't say it again. It's just hard not to be nervous when so much is riding on this one little envelope you're waiting for. Is this the definition of 'putting all your eggs in one basket'?" he joked

"Probably, but never mind that. Now that we've seen the place isn't it a lot easier to picture yourself there on a daily basis?"

"Yeah I can totally imagine it!" Naruto got a far off look on his face as he did just that.

"What, making out with your Uchiha boyfriend on the couch in the student lounge?" said Haku wickedly.

"Shut up. Don't intrude on my dreamscape," the blond retorted, his expression never changing. Haku cracked up and Naruto joined him a moment later when he couldn't hold the expression any longer.

"All the people we met yesterday were really nice weren't they? I hope we get to see them again," said Naruto "It was great to be in a group of people who all have similar interests. They all understood what I was talking about. It was like being at Shuriken. It felt like 'home' somehow, you know?"

"Hmm, profound..." Suddenly Haku caught sight of something from the corner of his eye and instantly stiffened. "Uh oh, Uchiha junior at nine o'clock!" he hissed in warning.

"Oh for God's sake!" Naruto whispered under his breath. Sure enough, in the next moment a pale hand slammed against the locker next to his, right by his head. Naruto supposed this was meant to startle him. "Oh my! How intimidating!" he though sarcastically. He didn't even bother to look up as he was stuffed bodily into his own locker hearing the lock click behind him. Not for the first time, he thought about how this joke would be more effective if the bastard had shoved him in somebody else's locker, to which he didn't actually know the combination. Didn't that damn bastard ever get tired of this stuff anyway. It had been three years! The novelty should have worn off at some point right? He hadn't come up with any new material in ages either. Whatever. He could already hear the laughter receding outside.

Haku hated having to stand by and let these things happen to his friend without a word, but Naruto refused to allow him to interfere. It had been this way from the beginning. Naruto always insisted that it would make him feel worse if his friend were to end up being persecuted as well and that he'd rather not start some kind of stupid war. The stakes would likely just keep getting higher and it would only attract more unwanted attention from other people. So Haku was left to watch and wait for it to be over. He heaved a sigh as the Uchiha walked off with his laughing minions. Oh well, at least this way he could help Naruto out of there instead of possibly being locked up in 'his own' locker. He noticed that Kiba had stopped and was looking back at Naruto's locker with a concerned frown. Haku moved to begin working the combination and waved Kiba off with a reassuring smile. Kiba nodded silently and followed after his friends.

"Thanks Haku," said the newly freed blond.

"No problem. You don't think Itachi might be hiding some of these sadistic tendencies do you?"

"Nope, I don't think so. From what I heard, they seem to come from a nice enough family."

"I wonder how they managed to screw up on one son so badly?" wondered Haku.

"Who knows? Maybe he's just got a really..'really' bad case of youngest-child syndrome? He could be hiding some 'decent' qualities for all we know. It's not as if either of us has ever had a real conversation with him."

"You're probably just being overly generous,"

"Yeah, maybe." Naruto's good mood had been somewhat dampened as they continued on to class under the 'gentle serenade' of the first bell.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Oooh, now what have we here?"

Naruto, who had been quiet and thoughtful as they left the class on their way to lunch, lifted his head at these words to look at Haku questioningly. Haku pointed off in front of them and the blond redirected his gaze obediently. As it was lunch hour, there was a lot of activity in the hall and it took him a moment to realize what he was supposed to be looking at.

There, just outside of the biology room was Kiba...talking to Hinata. Naruto could see why Haku's gossip radar had been alerted. Kiba did appear to be awfully focussed and poor Hinata, being prone to painful shyness, was blushing very noticeably. Some of the dog lover's usual group of buddies were on their way out. Catching sight of Kiba they slowed and veered toward him. Naruto heard one of them ask if he was coming. Kiba waved them off saying he'd be there in a minute. The group moved off a ways but didn't leave, deciding to wait. Kiba continued to talk to the silver eyed girl, drawing some quiet giggles out of her and even getting her to talk back to him quite a bit. His friends were getting impatient and asked once again if he was coming. He seemed a bit reluctant but he politely said goodbye to Hinata, giving her a smile and a wink that made her blush even deeper.

Haku and Naruto shared a sly grin and approached their friend who was still staring after Kiba. Naruto tapped her shoulder and she jumped in surprise and turned around. Seeing who was there, she smiled and greeted the two boys. All three walked together toward the exit.

"So Hinata chan," Haku started in a subtle tone that spelled trouble, "we noticed you seem to have made yourself a friend there. You sure had a lot to talk about." Poor Hinata was as red as an apple again. It was just too easy.

"W-well K-Kiba is going to be my partner for our biology lab. We have to d-dissect a fetal pig." Hinata's eye twitched noticeably at the word 'dissect'. "He promised that he would do all the...manual work, while I could just write up the report."

"Oh, is that all?" Haku needled a bit. "You looked like you were having so much fun though. I saw a lot of laughing going on. Why I could have 'sworn' that was flirting." The grin stretching unchecked across his face now.

"Haku leave her alone," Naruto cut in with a chuckle. "She looks like she might burst a vessel." Haku stuck out his tongue at him and crossed his arms, giving a mock haughty look.

"Spoil my fun..." Then his sly grin returned. "Don't worry about it Hinata. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Kyuubi's found himself a man too. Go ahead and ask him about it."

"Haku!" The blond took a swipe at his friend but missed as he danced away laughing.

"Oh no," Hinata answered quietly. "I don't think he likes me like that. Kiba kun is just a nice person."

"He is a nice person isn't he? I shall give my blessing to this union whole heartedly!" Poor Hinata. Normally she would never dream of making anyone else feel uncomfortable, but she was beginning to feel kind of desperate so she took the 'out' that had been presented before.

"Kyuubi kun, is it true that you've found someone?" she asked even as she mentally apologized.

"Oh yeah! Wait 'til you hear 'this' story."

"Damn it Haku!"

(A/N; Ok, I know not much happened here. This chapter is kind of just serving as linkage and I thought that this would be as good a place as any to into a little kiba/hina. The next one will be better, which is why I'm uploading it right now! XD )


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 9

The strains of Muddy Waters' Louisiana Blues rolled over Itachi as he pulled into the driveway of the Uchiha residence on Saturday morning. He was in a much better mood than he would normally be in when a weekend at his parents loomed ahead of him. But then it usually promised to be a rather boring affair. 'This' weekend he had a cute little blond to seek out. It had only been a few days since he had met Uzumaki Naruto but he had found himself thinking about the younger boy over and over in those few days and he had decided to visit 'his family' earlier than he would have otherwise. He wondered, as he turned off the engine, if the boy would be free later today.

Sasuke had been up for only a few minutes. He was sitting on the squishy suede couch in the lounge with a bowl of cereal in one hand the remote in the other as he flicked through the channels absently. The window behind him was open and he dimly noted the sound of a car pulling in. He assumed it must be his father, who had been away on business for the past couple of days. Nobody else would be coming here at the ungodly hour of ten thirty on a Saturday. Just before the engine cut out, he thought he heard some bluesy sounding music.

"Huh," he paused a moment before shrugging and changing the channel yet again. Then his sleep addled brain caught up with him and he blinked. "Blues?...No way!" The pyjama clad boy dug himself out of the cushion to turn around on his knees and look out the window. Sure enough there was Itachi's blue jaguar roadster parked outside.

"What the hell?!" Sasuke tossed the remote at the couch as he whirled out of the room, the cereal that he had put down before, already forgotten.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Itachi was just taking off his shoes when his brother's irritating voice rang out through the foyer. He looked up to see Sasuke, still in his silky black pyjama pants, staring at him incredulously.

"I'm visiting of course," Itachi deadpanned.

"You never come two weekends in a row!"

"What can I say," he smirked, ruffling his brother's bed-head in a very annoying manner."I missed you so much, I just couldn't stay away." Sasuke slapped Itachi's hand away with a glare.

"What are you up to?" he demanded.

"Now now, that's not a very warm reception little brother. Can't I visit my family whenever the urge overtakes me? I'm sure Mother will be more happy to see me." With that He stepped around Sasuke and wandered out of the foyer in search of his mother, who would be upset if she wasn't greeted properly. Sasuke watched him go suspiciously. 'Just visiting' his ass! Something specific had to have brought Itachi back here so soon.

------------------------------------------------

At nearly eleven thirty Naruto was just wrapping up with a client when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored it for the moment as he took the cash and cheerfully waved the older man out the door. When he pulled out the phone to see whose call he had missed he was surprised with the name Uchiha Itachi. He felt his heart thump heavily in his chest and his throat constricted uncomfortably.

"Oh my God! He's actually calling me! What do I do?" he thought frantically, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Ooookay." Carefully he glanced around to make sure that nobody had noticed him quietly freaking out. Shaking fingers slowly dialed the number to call the older Uchiha back.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Itachi?"

"Yes, hello. We're you busy?"

"Yeah I'm at work but I've got some time now."

"Ah, I'm sorry to disturb you at work. I'm in town today and I wanted to know if you might be available this evening."

"Oh yeah! I get off work at six. Um, we could do something after that if you'd like...uh, and don't worry...You weren't disturbing me." Itachi could easily tell the blond was a bit nervous. It was cute.

"Six o'clock would be fine. I could pick you up from work if that's alright with you. I know where the place is."

"Um, I guess that's ok. Do I get to know what we're doing?"

"No." Itachi could hear the smile in the blond's voice and smiled himself. "I think I'd rather surprise you." Naruto laughed at that.

"Ok, I guess there's nothing I can do about it then."

"Not a thing. So I'll see you then Naruto chan."

"Ok...Bye."

Sasuke, who had been eavesdropping around the corner since he had heard his brother's phone ring, in hopes of discovering the reason for his visit, felt his mouth drop open.

"Did he just say Naruto?" he thought. Then he decided to say it aloud. "Did you just say Naruto?" he demanded as he jumped out from around the corner. Itachi decided on a whim to just admit it and see how his brother reacted.

"Yes. Uzumaki Naruto. I just met him a while ago. He goes to your school. Do you know him?"

"You. Have got. To be kidding. You did not just make a 'date' with 'him'?!"

"Well it's certainly not a business meeting." Itachi retorted.

"You can't go out with him! What if people found out? It would be embarrassing!"

"I assure you, I would not be embarrassed in the least." Itach was starting to get more than a little annoyed at his brothers derogatory tone.

"Not for you. You're like, a hippie, art freak guy. I know nothing embarrasses you. I was talking about me. Uzumaki Naruto is like the biggest loser in the whole school! I can't let my own 'brother' be seen with him."

"Let me?" said Itachi dangerously. "I will do whatever I please, wherever and with whomever I please. You do not 'let' me do anything. Now grow the hell up. Not everything revolves around you, and who 'I' spend time with shouldn't matter to 'your' friends in the least." With one last cold stare, Itachi swept out of the room leaving Sasuke fuming behind him.

----------------------------------------------------

When Itachi walked through the door of Shuriken Studios at five to six Izumo was manning the counter. He smiled politely and gave him the usual spiel.

"Hey there, welcome to Shuriken. What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for Naruto." Izumo was a bit surprised. People didn't usually come in asking for Naruto. Kyuubi, yes but not Naruto.

"Ah, he's with a client," he answered motioning toward the back. "He should be finishing up very shortly though." With a nod of acknowledgment, Itachi walked further into the shop. Naruto was in one of the booth-like work areas. There was a big window that accompanying friends (or moral support) could look through, with blinds that were currently open as this client had been willing to forgo privacy. Itachi looked on with interest as Naruto put the finishing touches on a rather large dragon on the right shoulder blade of a young man who was obviously a repeat customer. From what he could see, the blond's work was impeccable. A few moments later Naruto turned off the gun and smiled at the man.

"That's it. We're all done!" Itachi heard him say. "I don't suppose I need to go over the rules of proper care with you." the blond continued jokingly as he handed the guy a large hand mirror and began to clean up his station.

"Nope I got it under control. Your so awesome Kyuubi! Thank you." Itachi wasn't sure he liked the way this guy was looking at his date. "Has anyone ever told you what gentle hands you have?" Aah, and there it was. Itachi interrupted here with a light tap on the glass. Naruto looked up and saw him. A blush rose instantly to his cheeks and he smiled even more beautifully than Itachi remembered. Naruto hurried out to meet him and Itachi slid an arm around the little blond and ushered him up to the front, with a pointed look back to the now irritated client.

"Hey! Am I running late?" Naruto asked.

"Not really." Itachi gave him a small smile of reassurance.

"So Kyuu, who's your friend?" Izumo's voice cut in. He'd been watching closely since Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome had walked in.

"Uchiha Itachi," he introduced himself, offering his hand. Izumo shook it with a pleasant smile. Then the name registered and he shot a questioning look to Naruto.

"Uchiha?"

"Yeah, he's the Bastard's brother. They're nothing alike though. Don't worry." The blond gave a humorous grin. Izumo looked back at Itachi and grinned as well.

"Well I'll be damned! Oi, guys! Come out here a second!" he called. Kotetsu and Raidou came from the back where they had both been doing sketches for some clients, Genma following slowly. Kotetsu took in the scene of a handsome guy they'd never met with his arm around a blushing Naruto and jumped right into the teasing.

"Kyuubi chan's got a boyfriend!!" he cheered.

"Uh.. well...he's not exactly.." stuttered the blond.

"Hey can I pay now or what?" came the sulky voice of Naruto's forgotten customer. Itachi smirked. Izumo caught the look and barely contained a laugh.

"Uh, yeah I'll do that up for you right now," he offered.

"Of course you will. Kyuubi obviously has places to go!" Kotetsu put in obnoxiously as he waggled his eyebrows at poor, mortified Naruto.

" 'Are' you going out with this guy Kyuubi?" asked Raidou. Naruto cleared his throat.

"Sort of. Guys, this is Itachi..."

"He's the Bastard's brother," Izumo clarified.

"No way! You're goin' out with his brother?! That is so wild!" exclaimed Kotetsu. "What were the odds?"

"Aaand Itachi, this is Kotetsu, Izumo, Raido and Genma." Naruto pointed out each in turn.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Hn.." Genma answered for all of them with contemplative nod.

"We should probably be going," said Naruto. They made to leave but were stopped suddenly by Raidou.

"Hold on." He looked Itachi in the eye. "I just want to tell you that if you do anything that makes him even remotely uncomfortable, I will break your arms," he stated with a straight, deadly serious expression.

"I'll keep that in mind," Itachi answered with equal seriousness.

"I'm sorry about that," Naruto apologized a moment later as they were walking to the car. "Raidou's kind of parental. They 'are' the closest thing I have to family." Itachi just waved it off.

"I think I like your friends," he said with a smirk. Naruto beamed happily at him.

(A/N; Dude! Spell checks are really starting to get on my nerves. I'm Canadian so I naturally use the British spelling for everything, but spell checks are always American so they mark it all as wrong. Then when I 'correct' them it looks wrong to 'me'. I'm actually pretty anal about spelling (aside from a typo here and there due to speed) so it really digs at me. Who knew just how many things Americans spell differently? Well I'm spelling pyjamas the British way damnit! And 'nobody' can stop me! Bwahahaha!...Ok I'm finished now. Sorry about that. Anyway, they're going on a date! Awww! But now you have to wait 'til tomorrow to read about it. So I'll see you then.)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 10

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Naruto as Itachi gallantly opened the door of his Jaguar for the blond.

",62. It's a classic. I've had it since I first got my license." Naruto got in and the door was closed behind him. He almost felt uncomfortable just touching the rich leather seats until he looked up and noticed the crappy old fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror. Unexpected laughter escaped him in a short burst.

"Aah, those are 'vintage' too" drawled Itachi, who had just dropped into the driver's seat. He sent the blond a humorous little smirk, then raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I love it!" Naruto grinned, already feeling much more relaxed. As the engine turned over, the familiar sounds of Muddy Waters poured out from the speakers and Naruto settled back against the seat with a sigh.

He still had no idea where they could be going when Itachi parked on a little side street downtown. He asked once again when Itachi joined him on the sidewalk. The older boy silently pointed to one of the buildings that were squashed together just a little further down the street. Blue eyes blinked at the odd looking structure, their gaze traveling up and down the building as they drew nearer. Elaborately painted decorative designs crawled over the wall around the door and lower windows. The effect was bright and rather bohemian. A quaint little sign that hung above the door proclaimed the title 'Trompe L'Oeil'.

"What is this place?" asked Naruto.

"It's something I thought you might be interested in. Trompe L'Oeil is a gallery."

"Really?! I've never heard of it, and it looks so...different!"

"Yes, it is fairly obscure. You'll find this is nothing like the usual 'clinical' gallery scene. It should be quite the experience for you," Itachi explained. "I suppose it could be referred to as underground art. All the great movements have to start somewhere of course. This place is a big supporter of student work."

"Ahh! You're kidding me! How long has this been around? I can't believe I never knew about it." Naruto was perfectly delighted. As far as he was concerned, Itachi was a damn genius! This was possibly the 'last' thing he had been expecting to do today. When they went inside, his excitement doubled. Everywhere he looked were some of the craziest, ugliest and most excruciatingly beautiful things he had ever seen. 'Clinical' didn't describe this place in the least. Not one single wall was pure white. Mostly they weren't 'pure' anything. There were different rooms with different feelings, warm and cool, simple and cluttered. Naruto didn't have words to describe it all. Itachi observed the energetic blond taking in every last little detail with utmost enjoyment.

"Oh my God I feel so inspired!" Naruto announced happily, bringing a small smile to Itachi's face. A guy, possibly a little older then Itachi and even more 'unique' looking than Haku, approached them from behind and tapped Itachi on the shoulder.

"Ah, there you are," said Itachi as he turned around.

"I thought that was you Uchiha. It's been awhile," the man greeted warmly.

"Yes. Naruto here is applying to my school. I thought I'd show him around the gallery and introduce him to you. Naruto this is my old friend, Kisame. He's an administrator here."

"It's nice to meet you," said Naruto. "This is an amazing place you're running."

"Thank you," answered Kisame as he shook the blond's hand. Kisame wasn't an overly good looking fellow, with his too-small eyes and grayish complexion, but he had a rather pleasant voice and he seemed nice and polite. He and Naruto quickly fell into a discussion about the merits of displaying art in a clear, neutral setting versus the merits of Trompe L'Oeil's unusual juxtapositions. Naruto's commentary was interesting, intelligent and well rounded. Itachi could tell Kisame was impressed and he smiled to himself, feeling a certain measure of odd pride in the blond.

Kisame took them around the exhibits, explaining the thought process behind the display and talking about the various artists, most of whom he knew personally. Naruto listened avidly to every word. When they had made it through the whole building ending up in the student-art store at the front, Kisame told Naruto that he would be welcome to bring in his own work to put up for sale or just display. He could come to Kisame directly to discuss anything he'd like. The blond looked up at him with veritable stars in his eyes.

"I would 'love' to get involved! This place is so great!" When he and Itachi finally took their leave he thanked Kisame profusely, giving the older man a huge smile and a wave as they walked off down the street to the car. Itachi looked over at the blond as they were driving away, noting the smile that remained even yet.

"So I take it you enjoyed yourself?" he asked, his tone colored with amusement.

"Yes! That was a wonderful idea. Thank you so much Itachi!"

"I thought you could use the outlet. If you take him up on his offer, it could be a good way to build confidence." Itachi tore his gaze away from the almost adoring expression in those glorious blue eyes. He had to use the distraction that driving afforded to quell a sudden bout of temptation. "I hope you're hungry."

"Hmm? Oh, yes actually. I don't suppose it will do me any good to ask where we're going?"

"To a restaurant," Itachi answered vaguely with a smirk. Naruto rolled his eyes with good humor.

The restaurant Itachi chose was nice but not too far upscale and when Naruto tasted the first bite of his meal, he gave his whole hearted approval. Over dinner, they talked about how Itachi and his friend had helped to found Trompe L'Oeil. Itachi told Naruto that even in high school his life had pretty much revolved around his interest in art. His parents had been very supportive and had agreed to make a generous donation to the gallery that he was helping to get off the ground.

"They were proud of the initiative I was taking and they saw it as an excellent learning experience, so they were willing to make the investment in the 'furthering of my education' so to speak."

"I'm glad they care about what makes you happy. I remember my parents being very supportive and encouraging as well."

"How long has it been? If I may ask," said Itachi carefully.

"Of course you may. I was nine. My father was from Australia and my mother met him when the company she worked for transfered her there. She fell in love of course so she never applied for any transfers back. I was born and raised there for almost nine years. Then an opportunity came along that they just couldn't pass up so we all packed up and moved here. Not long after that they were both killed in a car accident. Neither of them had any relatives and I didn't know anybody here... Well anyway what happened, happened. It doesn't matter much anymore."

"It does matter in that it helped to shape who you are. It says a lot about your parents that you lived through that kind of adversity and came out of it so well. From what I can see, you have a level head and not a trace of bitterness. They would be proud I'm sure." Naruto smiled somewhat tearily and thanked Itachi, who cleared his throat and tactfully change the subject. The rest of their conversation was light and often punctuated with Naruto's sparkling laughter, occasionally accompanied by a low chuckle from Itachi.

Later on, Itachi pulled up outside of Naruto's home. He frowned secretly at the obviously bad neighborhood, feeling slightly worried for the small blond's safety. The building that the boy lived in was one of the most run down looking piles of junk that he'd ever seen and he couldn't help but wonder that the place hadn't been condemned. Naruto looked up at him rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, I know it's a shit-hole but I needed whatever extra money I could save to pay for school," he explained. "It's not quite as bad inside though." Itachi just gave a small, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about that. Do I get to see some of your work now?"

"Um, yeah, you can come in and have a look if you want to."

"I would love to." Itachi ushered Naruto out of the car and allowed him to lead the way inside. Amusement welled up in the Uchiha when he entered the blond's apartment to find that every last inch of wall space had been covered with some form of art. Naruto had said it wasn't as bad inside because one simply couldn't 'tell' in all this clutter. Naruto caught the look on his face and smiled himself.

"Well...I just didn't know what to do with it all," he said with a shrug. Itachi began to actually inspect the pieces individually. Some were just sketches while some were finished works, some new, some old, abstract to highly realistic. All of it was impressive. They ranged through different mediums, sizes and color schemes but the development of a personal style was clear.

"Are they dated?" he asked.

"No. I'm afraid not, but I basically know where they fit chronologically."

"You've got a very unique style." Itachi pointed out one charcoal drawing as an example. "Even though this is highly rendered and looks very life like, there is something almost surreal about it." He shook his head, his expression pensive. "It's perfect in every detail. I can't pick out what makes it look that way. It's just an overall... It's in every last line, completely embedded. This one too. All of them. It looks like it's alive and moving, but it doesn't look real. It's somehow intangible." Itachi finally pulled his eyes away from the wall and noticed the blond gazing at him with an almost apprehensive expression. He realized that Naruto must be waiting for some kind of verdict and smiled.

"Your friend was right. You have nothing to worry about."

"You think so?" Naruto asked timidly.

"If you couldn't get into 'any' fine arts school you chose, I would be very surprised." The little blond lit up like a Christmas tree. He smiled the most beautiful smile that Itachi had seen yet and at the same time his cheeks were flushed in modest embarrassment. Itachi didn't think he could hold himself back if he tried. A pale hand lifted to one of those flushed cheeks, feeling the heat before it even touched. Finger tips traced gently over whisker like scars that had so piqued his curiosity. They were smooth and very slightly raised lines on otherwise flawless skin. He had moved in closer without even realizing it. The hitch in the blond's breath that he could feel against his own lips, a testament to just how close. His eye's flicked upward and caught shimmering blue. Absolutely pure. Long, dark blond lashes began to eclipse the luminous color. Taking that as a sign of permission, Itachi closed the final fraction of distance and he was falling into soft, sweet lips.

His gentle pressure was returned tentatively and he moved his body even closer slipping his arm around a slim waist and pulling the blond against him. A kittenish mew, that he very much liked, escaped the smaller boy but there was no protest made, which gave him the confidence to continue just a bit further. He let the tip of his tongue venture out to carefully trace the blond's upper lip, taking his first little teasing taste before he sucked that plump bottom lip between his own, licking and nibbling lightly. Naruto was like fresh, salty-sweet confectionery, soft, smooth and utterly delicious. Pressing the blond more tightly against him he felt him begin to tremble and eased off reluctantly, opening his eyes just enough to gauge a reaction. Naruto's eyes were closed, lashes resting on flushed cheeks. His breathing had picked up and along with the light panting Itachi felt soft lips curl into a little smile against his own. He was smiling too before he knew it and he stole one more quick kiss before pulling away entirely.

"I should probably go," he said, squashing down the desire to begin that all over again. The boy was blushing again, his gaze lowered but that little smile remained.

"Itachi, thank you, for everything. I've had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he answered sincerely. "Unfortunately I have to go back fairly early tomorrow. I have some work due Monday morning. I'd like to see you next weekend if possible though."

"I'd like that." The full force of those bewitching blue eyes was leveled at him once more. Swiftly Itachi collected himself and moved to the door before he was lost.

"I'll call you sometime through the week." He smiled at the blond who returned it with a nod. And then he was gone. Naruto locked his apartment door behind him, turned around and made it five steps in before he dropped to the ground.

"Oh my God!!" he mouthed silently. Both hands came up to rest on his hot cheeks cooling them faintly. If he didn't get rid of this smile by tomorrow, Kotetsu was going to be hell to work with.

(A/N; For those of you who may not know, Trompe l'Oeil literally means 'deceives the eye'. It's style of painting that gives an illusion of reality. i.e. An object or person coming out of the painting into real space.)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 11

Having made the mistake of mentioning Itachi when he was asked about his weekend, Naruto was currently suffering through Haku's 'grilling' on the subject. For the most part though, he was successfully managing to distract his friend by telling him all about Trompe L'Oeil. Haku was as excited by the idea as he had been and Naruto readily promised to take him there and introduce him to Kisame. They could both take advantage of the opportunities that the place presented to the 'budding artist'. Eventually Haku did manage to pry the info he really wanted from the blond and began cooing over the cuteness as they made their way down the hall to their classroom.

"Kyuubi chan got kissed!" he cried gleefully. "Oh it makes me want to go around telling all the girls and watch them turning green!"

"Turning green?" Naruto questioned in confusion.

"With envy of course," he nodded.

"I 'think' most of them have been kissed before," the blond countered with a wry smile.

"Yeah but not by a rich, handsome, older, sensitive artist type. I'm pretty sure that if these girls already have a thing for Sasuke, then they'd go nuts over Itachi."

"Are you sure? They seem to be gluttons for punishment." Haku put a few moments of actual thought into this but when he looked back toward Naruto to answer, the blond was gone.

"What the...?" Haku spun all the way around in search of his friend. His eyes narrowed in anger and exasperation as he saw Naruto was once again pinned to a locker by Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto was surprised when he felt himself being jerked backward away from Haku and thrust forcefully against the lockers, but not as surprised as he was now at the sight of the Bastard's face. Unlike every other time he'd been accosted by Sasuke, this time the boy actually looked angry. Naruto wasn't given a chance to wonder about this development before Sasuke kindly let him in on exactly what was troubling him.

"I don't know what you think you're doing with my brother," he hissed, fingers squeezing both of the blond's upper arms painfully, "but you'd better stay the hell away from him! You have no business even 'speaking' to an Uchiha. My brother may have no sense of decorum, I'm sure he takes up with all kinds of freaks at that school of his, but I refuse to allow him to come back here and embarrass 'me'! By which I mean to say that 'you' are an embarrassment. I've just been amusing myself with you up until now. You do 'not' want to make me angry." He tugged the blond forward and shoved him back into the lockers for emphasis, smacking his head loudly in the process. With a nod to himself as though he were making a mental confirmation or perhaps trying to convince himself of something, the Uchiha turned sharply on his heal and marched off in the opposite direction.

"Woah...He looked pissed." observed Haku as he blinked after Sasuke's retreating figure.

"He doesn't want me hanging around Itachi," Naruto explained quietly. "He called me an embarrassment."

"Wow! You're a regular Romeo and Juliet now huh?" said Haku in an attempt to lift the mood. Naruto gave him a weak smile.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ino was ridiculously excited. She had just finished developing her photos this weekend and she had been 'dying' to show them off for an entire sixteen hours. At the moment she was looking for Naruto and Haku but she wasn't having much luck. Having tried the art room, the hall by their lockers and the cafeteria she had moved the search outside now. The boys were nowhere to be seen on school grounds but then she saw one of her girl friends. Ino hesitated for all of one second. Should she wait?... Aww hells no! There was no way she could contain herself.

"Ayame chan!" she called, running up to her friend. Ayame looked up from her conversation with Haruno Sakura.

"I've got my portfolio shots developed. Come here and tell me what you think before I explode!" Ayame giggled at her over-blown desperation. She shot a quick look at Sakura and gave a shrug before following Ino to one of the picnic tables where the blond girl had set down her bag and was pulling out a folder full of prints. Sakura decided to just tag along, and as she was attached to an apathetic Sasuke who had been too preoccupied to notice, he was simply dragged along with her.

Sasuke was still thinking about the hooded boy that he had threatened earlier. He couldn't understand how he and Itachi had gotten together in the first place. Where would they have met... and how? The kid never spoke a damn word as far as Sasuke knew. How did you get to know somebody who was so antisocial. Hell, the boy didn't seem to have a personality at all. Itachi 'must' have gotten him to speak somehow, but how? Even when Sasuke had seriously threatened him, the damn dobe had shown no reaction. And even if he did speak, what could there be to like about him? Sasuke knew the hooded boy was in the advanced art class though. That was probably the only reason. Just more of Itachi's damn art obsession. He wondered briefly if the boy was any good, but it didn't really matter did it. He couldn't let it get out anywhere that the school loser, whom he himself had designated as such and insulted and picked on more than anyone else, was seeing his own brother. He could never get Itachi to put a stop to it. His brother was too stubborn to do 'anything' Sasuke wanted, so the only thing to do was crack down on the dobe himself. He had definitely done the right thing. Itachi would probably forget about him soon anyway. They didn't even live in the same town. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what his brother had done to make that kid talk.

Ino, meanwhile, had spread out her photos on the table for Ayame to look them over. As Ayame exclaimed over them, Sakura leaned over to take a look herself. She kind of forgot to let go of Sasuke though and she almost jerked him out of balance. Snapped rudely from his thoughts, Sasuke tugged his arm back and straightened, leveling a glare at the back of her pink head. Sakura, however, was too engrossed in the photos by now to notice his ire.

"Oh my God! These are phenomenal! They're so professional looking Ino!" Ayame gushed.

"You think so?" Ino said happily. No blushing here. There wasn't a bashful bone in her body.

"Where did you find this model?" asked Sakura. "He's absolutely gorgeous. Those eyes and the marks on his face, and God that tattoo, it's so cool! He looks so exotic!" Sasuke huffed and gave up his glare, seeing that she wasn't paying attention. He moved in to see what had her so riveted that she would ignore 'him'.

"This guy 'must' be hot," he thought to himself. He caught sight of the photos and his eyes widened. Quickly he reached out and picked one up to examine it more closely. Hot didn't begin to describe the model. He was completely captivating. The shot Sasuke was looking at was an eight by ten that showed a blond boy with stunningly blue eyes that just seemed to jump right off the page and grab hold of the viewer. They put the blue of the reflected sky around him to shame. His face was perfect in an unconventional way. Three parallel scars on either cheek gave him a slightly animalistic look that only made him more eye-catching. His slim, toned body, framed from the waist up, appeared to be lying face down on the surface of some body of water, the profile of his face reflected in sharp clarity below. The smooth, golden-tanned skin of his back that could be seen was adorned with what looked like red tails. They curved and curled sinuously over his shoulder and around his side, one gliding up a slender neck. A few stray drops of water scattered over his shoulders gleamed in the sunlight. Something about his position came off as vulnerable in a way and his expression was a touch...nervous maybe? He even seemed to be blushing ever so slightly. Sasuke looked over a few other pictures, keeping an ear out now for the conversation.

"That's Kyuubi chan. He's a friend of mine," Ino was saying. "He really is fabulous isn't he? I knew he'd be perfect for this." Kiba who had just been coming over to see what Sasuke and Sakura were up to, perked up at the name Kyuubi. Snatching one of the photos from Sasuke's hand and looking it over he grinned widely.

"Hah! It 'is' him!"

"You know this guy Kiba?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah it's Kyuubi. He's the guy from Shuriken Studios who did my tattoo for me. He's wicked cool."

"Wow, 'he' did that. It was a really great job. You know ever since you got yours, I've been thinking about getting my own tattoo. I think I should go to this guy for it. What do you think?"

"I think you should totally do it!! We could go after school tomorrow if you want. I'll take you in, be your moral support. Although if Kyuubi does it, it probably won't be too bad. Even 'you' could handle it." Sakura slapped him halfheartedly on the arm.

"If this guy is doing it to me, I can handle it just fine." Kiba let out a loud laugh.

"Hey now! Cool your jets girline. He seems really down to earth actually. I don't know how well he'd respond to your womanly wiles. You'd probably have to work harder for this one."

"Who said anything about working?" the pink haired girl asked innocently. "Can't a girl drool over fantasies of a hot guy drawing on her body without enduring your evil insinuations?"

"Yeah right," said Kiba with a smirk, as the other two girls giggled away. "So it's settled then. We'll go tomorrow. Do you have any idea of what you want?"

"Well, something sort of feminine for sure. I was thinking of maybe a dragonfly and some lucky bamboo, but maybe I could get something sexier. Ooh now I'm getting all excited about it! I don't know how I'll live through my classes knowing I'm going to get a tattoo tomorrow."

"I believe, I will go with you," Sasuke suddenly cut in.

"Eh? Really Sasuke kun? You want to see me get tattooed?" Sakura asked happily. The Uchiha nodded.

"Hn. It might be interesting." He smirked inwardly. He was definitely going to meet this boy in person and the blond wasn't going to be paying any attention to Sakura's feminine wiles.

Ino gathered up her multitude of photos and put the folder back in the bag. With a farewell to her friend she began to make her way back inside.

"Oops," she thought to herself. "I wonder if Kyuu chan will be ok with this. I suppose I'll have to warn him now that he'll be having company tomorrow. Oh well. This 'could' be pretty funny."

(A/N; Next time, Sasuke meets 'Kyuubi' ! o.O Think you can hold out? )


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 12

"Oh crap I gotta hurry!" Naruto puffed. School had just gotten out and he had burned out of that building and raced off to work as fast as humanly possible. Ino had told him that Kiba would be bringing Sakura in for a tattoo and the Bastard himself would be coming with them. As they had motorized transportation, it was going to take some doing to make sure he got there first. He couldn't very well blow off work entirely, although that sounded pretty good at the moment. So he was hoping he could maybe hide out in the back of the shop. Maybe they would settle for whichever artist they saw first.

"What time is it?!" a panting blond gasped out the second he stumbled into the door of Shuriken Studios. Raido looked up in surprise before checking the clock.

"You're twelve minutes early kid. There's nothing to worry about. Where's the fire?"

"Sorry Raidou, can't talk now. Busy day you know? Lot's to do! I'll be in the back." Naruto pulled off his hoody and took off into the back holing himself into his booth and closing the blinds. Raidou stared after him, perplexed.

"Teenagers," he sighed with a dismissive shake of his head.

Naruto was trying to draw up some ideas to distract himself but he was subconsciously listening for the jingle of the door when about ten minutes later, Kiba, Sakura and Sasuke arrived. He stayed right where he was, waiting apprehensively while Raidou greeted them.

"Hey man! My friend here wants to get a tattoo," said Kiba, gesturing to Sakura who smiled excitedly. "Is Kyuubi around here today? He did my tattoo and I was kinda hoping he could help her out."

"Of course. He's in the back right now. I'll go get him." Damn! Naruto could hear Raidou coming this way. A knock came to the window. "Hey kid! Get your butt out here. You've got a client." Slowly Naruto dragged himself off of his stool with a sigh. If only someone else had come in for a tattoo first. Then he could have actually been busy. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders, shoved down his anxiety and walked up to the front with a smile plastered on his face.

"Hey, Kiba! What's up?"

Uchiha Sasuke's eye's instantly glued themselves to the owner of that pleasant, cheerful voice. He looked just as amazing in person. The blond was wearing a tank-top and he let his gaze trail over every inch of exposed skin as he looked him up and down blatantly. The subject of his obvious interest gave no sign of noticing his attention.

"Kyuubi, there you are. Come here and meet my friend." Kiba grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him over to the pink haired girl. "This is Sakura. She wanted a tattoo so I recommended you to her."

"It's nice to meet you Sakura," he said with a sunny smile. "I'd love to help you out." He reached out a hand to shake and she took it with a blush and a girlish giggle. Naruto mentally rolled his eyes but reminded himself to give her a chance. Kiba had turned out to be very friendly. Sakura could very well prove to be just as nice. "Remember," he thought, "they could all be redeemed."

"It's nice to meet you to Kyuubi kun. I've heard so much about you." Ok..That sounded sincere enough. Naruto was about to open his mouth when the Bastard decided to suddenly cut in.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he announced in a tone that implied that he expected the name to be instantly recognized. The smile dropped off of the blond's face and he turned to the youngest Uchiha with an impassive look.

"Did you want a prize or something?" Kiba shot a hand up to cover his mouth. He figured Kyuubi must have remembered the name from their conversation a while ago. He recalled how unimpressed the blond had seemed and felt kind of guilty for bad mouthing his friend, but 'nobody' had ever talked that way to Sasuke and the boy looked so completely taken aback. It was hilarious!

"That guy blew me off!" Sasuke was sure the thought actually made an echo in his mind. "He blew me off!! What the hell?!" Naruto had gone right back to focusing on his client.

"So Sakura, what design did you have in mind?"

"Well I like the idea of a dragonfly and some bamboo, but, I guess if you could think of something sexy..."

"But you'd 'like' a dragonfly?" Naruto cut in, his brows drawing together.

"Well yeah I've always really liked them. I just think maybe it would be a little tame."

"No no," the blond shook his head. "You don't need to get something sexy. Just get what you like."

"You think I should?" she asked uncertainly.

"No, 'You' think you should. It's what you like right? It doesn't matter what you get. It'll just 'be' sexy whenever you're in a sexy mood." Sakura laughed at that.

"Really?"

"Trust me," Naruto grinned. "It's a tattoo! When they're well done they're 'all' sexy!" Sakura laughed harder and Kiba joined in. "Hey! I'm serious. if it really suits you it becomes like a mood ring. Mine can be happy, sexy, angry, dark and mysterious...depends on the situation." Hearing this Sasuke who was just starting to get over his shock, pictured the tattoo that he'd seen in Ino's pictures and realized the blond was right. He could easily imagine those tails helping to portray any one of those traits. This guy had an odd way of thinking though.

"Hn, Itachi would be all over that," he thought with a smirk. Good thing his brother wasn't here. Sasuke was so going to flaunt this guy in Itachi's face once he had gotten him. And he would get him. He'd hold onto him for awhile too. He was actually really cute and funny on top of being hot.

Naruto, having convinced Sakura to go with the dragonfly she had originally wanted, was busily sketching out quick thumbnails to see what kind of composition she liked best. He was still chatting away easily while he worked.

"I don't know what this big obsession is these days with being sexy anyway. I mean, look at you. You're definitely attractive enough." The pink haired girl smiled happily at his candid praise. "There's no need to go to too much extra effort."

"Girls are looking to attract guys. It's only natural," she countered. "You have to admit, guys are pretty obvious about what they want."

"Nah, they just say stuff like that. Maybe at first, they think they even believe it. But then one day they find what they really want and it turns out to be a 'person'!" Naruto faked a look of shock that had her giggling again. "When a guy finds someone they really want, they don't want her to be promiscuous," he said seriously. Sasuke scoffed automatically.

"Only hopeless romantic geeks want a virgin. The rest of us want someone who knows what they're doing." Naruto leveled a penetrating stare at the youngest Uchiha that gave him a squirmy uncomfortable feeling.

"Your lying," he said, his tone matter-of-fact. Then he turned his attention back to Sakura. "When I'm certain that I've found someone who's right for me and who honestly cares, there isn't really very much I can offer them, but I can at least give my 'entire' self, everything that I am, untouched and for them alone."

Sasuke felt his stomach flip at this speech. Somehow it sounded like the most incredible thing in the world. Truthfully, the idea that this gorgeous boy was a virgin, that he could be the very first to ever touch him was highly appealing. Realizing that something of his thoughts was possibly showing on his face, he hastily smoothed out his features and glanced furtively at Kiba to make sure he hadn't noticed. Meanwhile Kiba was lost in thoughts of the girl he liked, whose very innocence had first attracted him. There was no way he would say that in front of Sasuke though.

Naruto had subtly gestured for Sakura to look and take note of the two idiots' silent reactions and now both were cracking up. Meeting Sakura's eye again the blond grinned and shook his head.

"See what I mean?"

Sasuke didn't know what to make of this situation at all. This reaction from the blond was completely unprecedented. Perhaps he should fall back and regroup? He fell silent for awhile, observing his unusual quarry and trying to figure out just what the hell was going here.

Sakura had settled on a design and Naruto had quickly drawn out a good copy, scaled to fit the left side of her lower back and now he was about ready to begin. A nervous Sakura was assuming the position. The blond gently reassured her that it wouldn't be that bad but if she needed to take a break at any time, to just let him know. Kiba and Sasuke were watching a few feet away but it turned out that Sakura didn't really need any more moral support than what Naruto provided. He was as careful as possible and he kept her nicely distracted with light conversation the entire time. It was over before she knew it. Hopping up off the table, she went to the mirror to check it out.

"Oh! It's beautiful! It's completely perfect. I love it! Thank you so much Kyuubi Kun!" Naruto found himself the recipient of a bone crushing hug.

"Damn!" he thought. "She's a hell of a lot stronger than she looks!" He laughed and returned the hug anyway though. Sakura was actually a pretty nice person too he decided. She was just a little unsure of herself, which was a common affliction to be sure. He had genuinely enjoyed talking with her.

As the three were leaving the shop Naruto called out a goodbye to Kiba and Sakura, conveniently forgetting about Sasuke. The Uchiha couldn't believe that the blond boy had completely ignored him almost the entire time they were there. Everyone he desired had always just fallen right into his lap. Sometimes literally. He had never been challenged like this before. It would only make the whole thing that much more exciting, he decided.

(A/N; Hah! You all thought he was going to figure it out right then and there. Not yet baby! It's much more fun for me if he takes awhile to really cultivate his illusion of two different people before realizing what a complete ass he's made of himself. There's nothing like that humiliating 'last moron to know' feeling. I know you were probably hoping he'd get beaten up and tossed out on his ear as soon as he walked in, but I can't jump the gun. It'd mess with the pace of my story.

And what do you know? Shika was right. The odds on that many people being heartless assholes 'are' pretty slim. Most people don't really intend to make someone's life miserable. They're just thoughtless. If they realized that was what was happening they'd probably feel bad. Sakura, like many of her peers, is simply dealing with her own life and her own problems and doesn't take the time to notice what someone else may be going through. Laughing at someone and failing to help them doesn't seem like much of a crime unless you really take the time to think about it. Anyway, that's enough philosophy for one day. Hope you're not too disappointed that there wasn't a big chaotic revelation yet.)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 13

Tuesday night, after Naruto had gotten home from work, he got a call from Itachi. The older boy said that he had been wondering (which Naruto translated to 'worrying') about whether things between the blond and his little brother had gotten more, or maybe less intense.

"Sasuke actually seemed pretty angry about the situation when he found out and I figured that it would probably end up affecting you in some way. Of course he could have either started avoiding you are become even more aggressive." Naruto had answered as honestly as possible.

"Well I guess I don't really know yet. I mean.. he threatened me yesterday," he admitted.

"He threatened you?" Itachi did not sound happy.

"Um, yeah but then he hasn't said or done a thing since. So I can't really say how things will go now."

"What did he say?"

"He... told me to stay away from you, and... he called me an embarrassment."

"You are 'not' an embarrassment. The little brat doesn't know what he's talking about. Don't take any threats from him too seriously. There's nothing much that he can do to you and he knows it. He's bluffing, and if not, I'll handle him accordingly."

When Itachi asked him how things were going at work, Naruto's spirits lifted as he related the interesting events from earlier that day.

"So I asked if he was expecting some kind of prize. You should have seen his face! It was like somebody being even remotely rude to him was such a total shock. And then I completely ignored him the rest of the time. It was so funny."

It 'was' pretty funny and Itachi couldn't help but give little chuckle but at the same time he thought that this probably wouldn't be the end of it. He hadn't been kidding about he and his brother having similar taste and knowing Sasuke, being blown off like that would only make the blond stand out in his mind. His interest would have been engaged now. It was not a thought that Itachi particularly enjoyed. Of course his poor, misguided brother didn't have a hope in hell with Naruto of all people... and it might be fun to tease him about it. Putting it out of his mind for now he continued to talk pleasantly with Naruto for about another hour before they decided to call it a night.

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The next day at work Naruto was just sending a customer off out the door with his usual friendly farewell. He bent his head to do some drawing while he continued to man the front desk but before he could even properly begin, a shadow fell across his paper. He looked up in surprise and blue eyes widened substantially at the unexpected sight of Uchiha Sasuke. There had been no second jingle at the door. He must have slipped in just as that other guy was leaving. The Uchiha smirked at him and the blond's look of surprise was quickly replaced with a wary frown. What was the Bastard doing here?

"Can I help you?" he asked slowly.

"I certainly hope so." The brunets smirk widened. Naruto eyebrows rose.

"Then you've decided to get a tattoo of your own now?"

"No. I find myself much more interested in the artist," Sasuke drawled in a tone that he knew would have made any girl at school swoon for him. Unfortunately for him, the blond just looked like he'd swallowed a bug.

"Oh my...Gawd!" thought Naruto. "Is he 'hitting' on me?!" There was a very long awkward moment. "Ok that... was really lame," he finally responded. Once again Sasuke was taken aback but he recovered quickly. He leaned over the desk on his elbows, resting his chin on his fists, incidentally bringing his face very close to the blond's.

"I just came to talk to you. You're a friendly guy right? Can't we spend some time together, be 'friendly'?" Naruto leaned back as far as he could.

"I am a friendly guy, but I get the feeling 'you're' not."

"What makes you say that?" the Uchiha let a frown slip for a second before smoothing it back over.

"Well, for one thing, you obviously don't really know what to say to me right now."

"I know 'exactly' what I'd like to say to you," he said suggestively.

"See. Eww! Stop that! You know what? You can't loiter here. If your not here for any 'legitimate' reason then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." Sasuke backed up but his expression never wavered.

"Ok then. I'll come back another time and see if you're in a better mood."

"I'll never be in better mood as long as you're around," Naruto muttered quietly. Sasuke just caught it as he was walking out the door. He paused for a moment but let it go. Once he was outside the shop he let the frown take over his features. So the boy thought he didn't know how to talk to people and be friendly. Well if he thought about, it's not as if he had ever had to try before. His whole reputation had been built on being rude and sarcastic. People usually ate that up though. They all thought he was cool. He'd discovered a long time ago that the more he acted like he didn't actually need or care about anyone, the more they all gathered around. It had the pleasant side effect of automatically putting him in charge as well. He never had to be 'nice' to get someone to like him.

"Besides, this Kyuubi almost seemed to have some kind of grudge against me right off the bat. What the hell is up with that?" he thought to himself. "I haven't done anything to 'really' offend him. Oh well. Maybe he really is in a bad mood... and I suppose I couldn't fault him for having high standards. He's just going to take a little more convincing than the average person."

This decided, Sasuke mentally bolstered himself for the upcoming struggle. Having finally found someone who wasn't average was rather a refreshing prospect. Sasuke could admit that he had been in a rut for awhile now. Kyuubi was the most interesting thing to have come along in a very long time, and the game was on.

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Throughout the rest of the week Naruto continued to receive visits from a persistent Sasuke. It seemed that nothing could fully discourage the boy. One almost had to admire that kind of determination. On the other hand though, it was kind of creepy. Now Naruto knew why Sasuke himself was so annoyed with all the people who followed him around. After 'years' of this kind of thing, most people would probably be more than ready to simply disregard the feelings of their stalkers. He would have thought that this experience would discourage the Uchiha from behaving the same way but perhaps instead, it just made it seem like the natural thing to do.

"It could have been worse though," Naruto contemplated. "At least he's restricted it to this place and time of day." Indeed it could have been much worse. This was Naruto's comfort zone. He felt more secure and in control in this shop than anywhere else and it gave him the confidence to say and do as he pleased. He had no problem insulting the Uchiha or simply ejecting him from the building if he said anything stupid, knowing that here, he was basically untouchable. He hadn't come out and told his coworkers exactly what was going on of course. There was no way that Kotetsu and Izumo could have resisted taking some kind of ridiculous action against the Bastard. He wasn't about to confirm any suspicions they might have. He was pretty sure Raidou had figured things out though. The man had mentioned once how much that boy who kept coming in looked like Itachi but he seemed mostly content, for now, to let Naruto handle it as he saw fit. Naruto just felt better knowing that they were there for him. He was the one with reinforcements that could called upon at a moment's notice. It was empowering and made the encounters almost sort of fun in a way, while still somewhat disturbing.

"Ah well, he's only been doing this for just under a week. It's nothing to worry about yet. There's a good chance he'll get bored and give up soon." This thought gave Naruto a weird sense of deja vue. "...Aww crap! That's exactly what I thought when he first started harassing me at school!" This did not bode well.

You would think that the proud Uchiha Sasuke would have been irritated by his lack of success, and you would have been right. It 'was' irritating, but along side of that irritation there was also a certain strange kind of amusement. He was starting to get used to the blond's behavior. On some level, the insulting banter was actually enjoyable. It was so different from the norm that it seemed to add a certain spice to his day that he found himself looking forward to. On Friday afternoon he was at it again.

"What are you doing here... again?" sighed the blond.

"You know you enjoy my visits. I bet you stand behind that counter and quiver in anticipation until I get here," he answered jokingly. By this time, he knew better.

"Quiver? Over you? Not a chance in hell."

"I know you like me. What's not to like?"

"Consult a proctologist."

"Huh? Oh right, I've got something up my ass. Very funny."

"Not just anything. It's got to be something big. I'm surprised you can walk straight," Naruto correct seriously.

"You wound me you know. How would you feel if I never recovered?"

"I'm sure I'd get over it," the blond responded wryly. "In the meantime if you ever manage to get that broomstick out of your ass, you can use it to sweep up the shards of your broken heart."

Sasuke was slightly worried that he might be becoming a bit of a masochist, but he was 'liking' this. Only a few moments later, he was being quietly thrown out again but he was far from giving up.

Conversely, the Uchiha had gone back to his old tricks at school. It seemed his preoccupation with 'Kyuubi' had pushed the issue of his brother and 'Naruto' to the back of his mind. His attitude of extreme prejudice had simmered down but he had stopped avoiding the hooded boy as well. Thankfully all of this trouble with Sasuke was offset with frequent calls from Itachi. After talking to the older boy for awhile Naruto always went off to bed with a lighter heart.

(A/N; Ok, it's basically another linking chapter (sigh) but you need them sometimes.)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 14

The following Saturday, Itachi came back again as promised. Haku had badgered Naruto into bringing up the idea of a double date with himself and Zabuza. He was dying to see the two together and now that his friend had a date, he could finally go out with both his friend and his boyfriend without having to worry about Naruto feeling like a third wheel. It was all very exciting. When Naruto put the question to Itachi, the older boy had agreed readily, citing the fact that he had taken control last time so whatever the blond wanted to do would be fine. It was only fair.

"But you chose what do based specifically on what you thought 'I' would like," Naruto pointed out.

"I could have been wrong," came the casual rebuttal.

"But you 'knew' you weren't." Itachi just smirked.

They had all agreed on a restaurant to meet at and Naruto and Itachi got there first and waited at the table where they were seated. Before long Naruto caught sight of his friends weaving through the tables toward them. Zabuza was an especially easy person to spot in a crowd. Itachi stood up politely while the introductions were made and was somewhat surprised to find himself looking 'up' at the diminutive Haku's boyfriend. Itachi himself was a fairly tall man but Zabuza had him beat by several inches. He was also broad of shoulder and just powerfully built all around. Itachi wondered how he managed not to break his partner, but little Haku looked supremely happy in the presence of his formidable boyfriend.

In order to get the ball rolling and hopefully avoid any awkwardness, Haku began some light conversation by asking Itachi how things were going for him at school. Itachi explained that he had just finished his classes as the semester ended sooner for the university than for the high schools. However, he and two other students were having a group show at the on campus gallery soon, so he had to stick around and prepare for that. He then decided that etiquette demanded that he ask Zabuza about what he did with himself. It turned out that Zabuza ran a pool hall. This, Itachi found, was a very easy image to conjure up in his head. Zabuza was a fairly serious personage and generally a man of few words. He and Itachi took to each other right away, though the average person would have had to look very closely to see it. Naruto and Haku picked right up on it of course and both were very pleased.

All in all dinner went quite splendidly. Itachi was regaled with the story of Haku and Zabuza's meeting. Something he was sure anybody that saw them together would be curious about. Who knew Haku was a pool shark? Haku and Naruto fell into their own discussion, to which the two older men listened quietly, sharing a few silent communications at appropriate moments. Itachi enjoyed it all greatly. When the meal was long finished and their coffee refills had run dry. The cheques were called for and Itachi paid for both himself and Naruto despite the blond's assertions that he should at least pay for himself.

The younger boys had decided that it would be fun to go out dancing. It was something that they hadn't had the chance to do for some time.

"Haku has been trying to teach me to dance for awhile," said the blond, "but I should warn you that I'm definitely not the best at it."

"You've gotten way better Kyuubi," Haku cut in. "You could 'always' dance. It's not like you don't have rhythm. All I was showing you was some actual, recognized steps."

"I'm not nearly as good as you though. Haku's great at practically everything." Zabuza grinned wolfishly at this, pulling the small brunet closer against his side.

"That's true." His gruff voice sounded quite smug. Itachi smirked and Naruto laughed aloud. It was nice to see Haku doing the blushing for once and the blond wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to tease a little.

The place that they chose was a favorite with them mainly for the fact that it didn't tend to use much of the over-played recent hits on the radio, preferring an older or more obscure song set. They didn't always stick with the same genre either, making for a more interesting variety. Reaching the dance floor, Zabuza mainly stood looking cool and intimidating, doing as little as possible while Haku danced around him. (or up against him) Itachi found that once again, Naruto had downplayed his true ability. After the first few nervous moments the Uchiha had grabbed his blond partner unexpectedly and sent him into a spin, catching him in a cliche dip. Naruto had laughed himself near tears and from then on he loosened up completely and just let himself flow with the music. He proceeded to put Itachi's stamina to the test as they continued on song after song.

Eventually though, they took a little break and found Zabuza and Haku already resting up at a high round table just next to the dance floor. Naruto grabbed two other seats from another table and dragged them over while Itachi went up to the bar to pick up a couple of bottles of water. They all sat together, watching the people on the floor and rating their 'moves' for about ten minutes until the opening strains of a latin number began to pump through the speakers.

"Oh I love this song!" Haku exclaimed, jumping up immediately. "Come on!" He tugged on his boyfriend's hand but Zabuza simply held up his beer, giving it a little shake to indicate that he wanted to just sit this one out and finish his drink. Seeing that the huge man wasn't budging, Haku turned to his blond friend. "Are you coming Kyuu chan?" Naruto laughed.

"Second fiddle huh? I see how it is." Haku grabbed his hand and he hopped down off of his stool letting himself be led out onto the dance floor. Itachi automatically stood to follow his date but found himself stopped by a large, rough hand held out in front of him. He looked questioningly over to Zabuza. The man was looking back with a mischievous smirk. He cocked his head silently in the direction of their two dates on the floor. Itachi, taking the hint, reseated himself and the burly man settled back in his own seat to watch the show, his smirk widening. The Uchiha let his own gaze search out his date and was instantly fixated. Watching those two small, lithe bodies working and winding around each other, the contrast of colors, the sweat glistening on their skin was an absolute masterpiece.

"Damn..." His soft exclamation was answered by a grunt of agreement from the hulking man beside him. As the song came to a close, it became apparent that they weren't the only ones taking notice of the two boys on the dance floor. Itachi frowned as more than one guy crossed the floor to boldly ask either the blond or his friend to dance. He stood abruptly and made his way over to Naruto, Zabuza not far behind. Gracefully the Uchiha cut in and danced his partner off into the crowd. Zabuza, he noted with amusement, wasted no energy on tact, simply shoving his would-be competition out of the way. Haku took this in stride, shaking his head fondly at his possessive gorilla of a boyfriend.

When the time came to part ways, Naruto thanked his friends for coming out with them and Itachi shook hands with Zabuza expressing his sincere pleasure at their meeting. They all agreed to do something together again soon and with a quick hug and a final wave between the younger boys they were off to their separate vehicles.

"I might have known you and Zabuza would get along so well," said Naruto as they were driving away. He suddenly pictured Itachi, Zabuza and Raidou in a room together and cracked up. Itachi glanced over and gave him a strange but amused look.

"I like Haku a lot too. You pick out some good friends." Naruto beamed once again.

"Now 'that' is an excellent compliment."

When they pulled up outside of Naruto's building, Itachi walked him to the door. The blond suddenly grew a little bit shy and Itachi smiled fondly at him.

"Naruto? I realize we've never actually defined...this yet. I would like to make myself clear right now. I want to ask you to be my boyfriend officially, exclusively." Naruto's eyes lit up, the smile spreading slowly until it took over his face completely, radiating like the sun.

"Of course I will," he answered quietly. Two small tanned hands lifted to Itachi's face and drew him down as the blond stood up on his toes. Itachi allowed him to control the chaste press of lips for the first moment or two before wrapping both arms around the boy's waist and taking advantage of his slight surprise to slip his tongue easily into a soft, warm wet mouth. The unique flavor overwhelmed his senses as Naruto allowed him to explore and hesitantly returned the caress of his tongue. Soft and salty-sweet just as he remembered. Naruto's hands had slid from Itachi's face to the back of his head, fingers threading into the hair at his nape sending a tingle over his scalp. He gave a low hum of approval and set his own hands to slowly massaging the blond's curving lower back. With a quiet whining noise, Naruto involuntarily arched back into the soothing touch and felt Itachi's lips pull away for breath, resting their foreheads together. The older boy chuckled before pressing a gentle kiss to either cheek and the tip of his boyfriend's cute little nose. Naruto's sparkling blue eyes opened, encompassing his entire view from so close up.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Most definitely," Itachi answered with a smirk. Naruto unlocked and opened his door, then turned back around and kissed Itachi one last time.

"Goodnight," he whispered. Itachi nodded and watched him move inside and close the door behind him.

"Goodnight Naruto."

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Sasuke was getting himself a last glass of juice before bed. He looked up as he heard someone coming into the kitchen and almost did a double take at Itachi. His brother was smiling, actually smiling in a way he couldn't remember ever seeing before.

"Where have you been?" he asked automatically although he had a pretty good idea of the answer.

"With Naruto," came the simple reply.

"Ridiculous," Sasuke muttered darkly. "I don't know what you could possibly see in that freak." He really 'didn't' understand it. What could Itachi be so happy about. Then again, he mused, had his last girlfriend been as quiet as Naruto, he probably wouldn't have dumped her so quickly. Itachi's response jerked him out of his thoughts for the moment.

"Sasuke... Shut the hell up." His tone was infuriatingly casual.

"Why should I shut up if you haven't listened to me? You never listen!" he accused.

"No I don't, and I can't now. It's late and I have to get to sleep so I can see Naruto tomorrow," said Itachi serenely. "Goodnight little brother."

(A/N; Give the people what they want. XP I wanted to throw some Zabu/Haku in. I just love imagining the dynamics of that relationship. I liken it to a big, dangerous animal and his beloved tamer. lol)


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 15

Uzumaki Naruto was on cloud nine. He had just had the most fabulous weekend ever. Itachi had even brought him breakfast on Sunday. Then he had driven Naruto to work where Raidou had just smiled at his un-contained exuberance and told him to get lost.

"Are you sure?" he had asked in surprise.

"Of course I'm sure. You've got the day off. Go do something fun."

So he and Itachi had spent the whole day together. The Uchiha had driven them out of the city and they took a long walk through the rural fields and forests, ending up on the grassy top of a huge hill with an absolutely breathtaking view of everything for miles around. There was a lake stretched out just below them and Naruto could see the shining ribbon of the creek that fed it winding away through the trees. He hadn't been out of the city since he had moved to this country years ago and it was like he could feel a long buried part of himself coming to life again just breathing the air. They'd stopped at a farm that sold their own produce from a stand by the road on the way back. They picked up some apples and a wheel of cheese and sat on the hood of the car to munch away, Itachi commenting jokingly that the scent of manure in the air really brought out the flavor. Naruto had laughed and kissed him and the food had swiftly been forgotten for awhile as they ended up making out all over the hood of the car. Later in the evening they had decided to go to a movie and ended up seeing Apocolypto which they both enjoyed thoroughly and discussed for over an hour afterward. Naruto didn't think he could have asked for a more perfect weekend from start to finish.

He had also had an inspiration for a new piece for the school's annual art show. He couldn't wait to get started on it now. Haku had just been told all about why Naruto was in such a good mood and had finished squealing about his friend having an 'official' boyfriend. Now he was busy trying to get Naruto to tell him what his next piece was going to be. Naruto would do nothing more than smile mysteriously and tell his curious friend that he would have to wait and see when it was finished. Haku pouted comically but it disappeared a moment later.

"Well guess what I 'have' seen?" he asked with a grin.

"What?" the blond questioned absently as he worked the combination to his locker.

"Ino's pictures!" Naruto's eyes widened and a blush instantly flooded his face as the exclamation registered.

"Oh god, you saw them?" his head shot around to the side to see the grinning Haku nodding vigorously. He bit down on his lower lip, gnawing a bit, then took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "Dare I ask?"

"They're amazing! You've got to look at them. I was so impressed and she made you look 'wicked' cool!"

"Honestly, I really do want to see them. I'm only a 'little' nervous and I realize how irrational even that is. Ino had some great ideas and I know she did an amazing job. I'll have to ask her about them in art class."

"She wanted me to help her weed them out, but I had some serious trouble deciding which ones were the best. She's probably going to want your opinion too now." The sound of two locker doors slamming almost simultaneously echoed through the nearly empty hall as both boys turned away, shouldering their bags. They were met with the unwelcome sight of Uchiha Sasuke, arms crossed and expression grim.

"You... I want to know the 'exact' nature of your association with my brother." As usual, Naruto simply remained silent but this time Sasuke wasn't going to just leave it at that.

"Don't you pull this shit. I know you're not some kind of mute. I asked you a question and you'd damn well better answer!" At this point Haku finally lost his cool. This had gone on unchecked for long enough.

"It's none of your goddamn business Bastard!" he shouted. "He can do whatever he wants. Now step the fuck off!" Grabbing the completely awestruck blond by his hoody, Haku stomped off down the hall with his friend in tow. Neither looked back to see the outraged shock that poured almost tangibly off of the youngest Uchiha.

"Haku!!" the blond started when he had snapped out of his stupor. Haku had begun pacing. It seemed he had a lot of steam to work off.

"I know, I know, but it just had to be said!" the brunet ran an agitated hand through his long hair. "You can't expect me to just stand there listening to him making these ridiculous demands. Not when I know 'you' won't do a thing about it. I just..."

"I can't believe you said the F word!" Naruto exclaimed with childish amazement. Haku stopped short, looked incredulously at his friend and burst into a bout of uncontrollable laughter. Suddenly catching on Naruto began to giggle and soon he had dropped to his knees beside a helpless Haku who was literally rolling on the floor.

"Oh man that was priceless," Haku gasped from his place on the floor. Naruto stood up and reached down to lend his friend a hand. Haku pulled himself up and began to dust off his clothes, still giggling sporadically.

"You know what? Never mind that freaking moron. Just do what ever you want and he can go cry about it in a corner somewhere," he advised. Naruto grinned at the mental image.

"Don't worry Haku. I have every intention of doing just that."

Over the next couple of weeks Naruto remained true to his word. He and Itachi had continued to talk on the phone almost everyday. They never seemed to run out of things to say. They also saw each other every weekend and just last weekend Naruto had gone down to Konoha to see Itachi's gallery exhibition. He had missed the opening of course as that had taken place on a Thursday and he had school and work, but Naruto had never been big on the openings anyway. It was always much too crowded and a lot of people just seemed to be there for the free food. He had been very impressed with Itachi's work. He found that Itachi's sculpture seemed to be especially inviting to touch. The older boy had agreed, explaining that the tactile quality was what had drawn him into sculpture more than anything else. He liked to work so directly with his hands, to shape an object and feel it beneath his fingers. It gave him a deep feeling of connection. Naruto had told him that it showed and had run his own hands all over Itachi's work, taking in every detail and becoming completely absorbed. When he finally turned around, he found intense dark eyes staring at him in a way that made his pulse quicken. They had left the gallery directly after that and spent an inordinate amount of time in the car, not going anywhere. Naruto was flushed for almost the entire ride home. Damn that man was a phenomenal kisser!

His problems with Sasuke however, were continuing to escalate. The Bastard was becoming more bold in his attempts to win over Kyuubi, but of course at this point whatever slim tolerance Naruto might have had for him was dissolving completely. After weeks of being continually shot down, Sasuke was becoming very frustrated and consequently he had been taking out that frustration by giving Naruto more trouble than ever at school. Naruto just retaliated by being all the more merciless when the bastard came in to hit on Kyuubi. He and Haku had loads of laughs at the Uchiha's expense, in between cursing him to hell and back.

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Naruto put away all his art supplies and stopped to look over his work one last time. He let out a soft sigh, glad that the piece was nearing completion. He was the last one out of the art classroom so he turned out the lights as he left, and began his daily walk to work. He pulled off his hoody and shoved it into his nondescript bag when he reached the street where Shuriken Studios was situated, as had become his routine of late. He never knew when the Bastard might show up out of nowhere and he'd already had a couple of near misses. When Shuriken came into view, Sasuke was indeed standing outside of the door. Naruto rolled his eyes heavenward and asked the gods for patience.

"You're scaring away all the paying customers you know," he said by way of announcing himself.

"Ah, but I 'am' a paying customer today," Sasuke retorted with a smirk. Naruto was actually surprised.

"Really? You've decided to get a tattoo?"

"That's right, and of course 'you'll' be the one to give it to me." The blond frowned and walked past him into the shop. He tossed his bag behind the counter and stood still for a moment staring at the wall. Then with sigh he asked what image the Uchiha wanted to get and where. Sasuke told him he wanted a red Chinese dragon on his shoulder. Naruto sighed once again at the lack of originality.

"Are you really sure?" he asked carefully.

"If that's what it takes to get your hands on me," said the smug Sasuke. He seemed to think he was quite clever. Naruto grit his teeth, muttering about how lame this was but went through all the usual preparations. The Uchiha slid into the seat with an exaggerated grace that might have seemed sexy to someone else but only sent Naruto's eyes rolling. The tattooist was tempted more than once during the process to mess it up on purpose, but sadly, he took too much pride in his work to do such a thing. Or so he told himself. Truthfully it also had a lot to do with the fact that he couldn't bring himself to be mean to anybody in a way that would leave a lasting mark.

It wasn't as if this was the first time Naruto had had to work on someone who stared at him unnervingly and kept making suggestive comments every two seconds. Sasuke just used all the same old lines that he'd heard before. He managed to ignore it all and focus on the task at hand quite nicely and the poor Bastard was left disappointed by 'his Kyuubi's' professionalism. He left the shop with a bandaged shoulder and no further satisfaction on the romantic front than when he'd arrived.

(A/N; lol He might as well be beating his head against a brick wall. I just 'had' to let Haku tell him off at least once right? I'm sure he found it enjoyable. I know I did. XD)


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 16

It was growing late on a Friday evening and Itachi had just driven in from Konoha. He hadn't even stopped off at his parents yet. Itachi approached a rundown building with a light spring in his step, taking little notice of all the cracks and the grime. A couple of rather sleazy looking girls were just walking out the door when he reached it so he slipped through the open passage and made his way up the stairs and down the hall to a certain door with chipped green paint. At his knock the door was opened by a blond haired boy with a brilliant smile and Itachi was pulled into a warm hug.

"Hey! I missed you." This statement was responded to with an answering hug and silent smile which the blond correctly interpreted as an 'I missed you too'. Itachi was a bit tired to do anything too strenuous and Naruto agreed that it had been a full and trying day so they decided to keep things simple and just go for a walk. They wandered along the street hand in hand on the way to the park. When they came to a small, conveniently located cafe, they made a quick detour inside for some hot chocolate before continuing on to the park. Naruto leaned into his boyfriend and felt a strong arm slide around his shoulders as the two strolled lazily around the graveled paths in the fading light. Eventually, one of the park benches came to be occupied by a pair of young men, one warm and golden the other cool and dark.

Naruto cuddled into Itachi's arms, still clutching his empty coffee cup and looked up at the sky. Vaguely he wished that he could see all the stars.

"I love this time... When the summer is just barely beginning and the days are getting so long that the sun doesn't really make it all the way down until sometime around nine o'clock. There's something special about twilight in the summer. I think it's my favorite time to be outside. The whole world just feels different somehow you know?"

"Hmm, that's true," Itachi mused. "Perhaps it's some residual animal instinct. You're naturally more alert outdoors when night is falling."

"Yes, I think that's it exactly," agreed Naruto. "It's like the senses become sharper. You can hear every tiny little sound and the smells on the air are so clear." He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath right then, and Itachi chuckled at him. An elegant hand lifted and began to stroke comfortably through soft, golden hair as the two fell silent for a few minutes more.

"Naruto chan?" Itachi's voice gently drew the blond out of his daydreaming. "You said earlier that you'd had a trying day. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Oh." Naruto shook himself to full attention. "That's right. I gave your brother a tattoo today. He has been getting bolder but I never thought he'd do something quite so dumb. That's what I get for underestimating him huh?" he joked sarcastically.

"He actually got a tattoo?" Itachi himself was mildly surprised.

"Oh yeah, said something lame about getting my hands on him. He was a complete idiot about it the whole way through. He really seemed to have no clue what a bad idea it could be to annoy the guy who's taking a needle to you." Itachi was frowning over the blond's head.

"It seems he's really stepping it up a notch... Naruto, why don't you just tell him?"

"Eh?" Naruto turned in Itachi's arms to look up at his face.

"You could just tell him about your 'secret identity' so that I can tell him to back off of my boyfriend." Naruto looked down, frowning into his lap as he chewed on his lip in contemplation.

"I just don't think I want to deal with that right now. It won't be much longer anyway no matter what right?" Itachi's frown deepened.

"Are you sure?" he asked. The blond head nodded silently still facing down. Itachi sighed. "Well I won't try to force you of course, but I really don't think things could actually get any more convoluted than they are. I'm not sure what you're so afraid of exactly."

"Please, just wait it out for me? There's no need for us to get into any unnecessary confrontations. I'll be fine, really." Itachi couldn't help giving in to those big pleading eyes. Rather than answer directly he simply changed the subject.

"So what tattoo did he get?" he asked casually. Naruto grinned.

"A red Chinese dragon on his shoulder."

"Oh, so he's joined the club then." Itachi shook his head. "I wonder if they have their own internet group." Naruto giggled and tried to come up with an appropriate name for such a group. Itachi though, was only half listening. He was beginning to feel slightly uneasy. He really couldn't understand why the blond wouldn't give up his cover. Did he not really 'want' Sasuke to stop bothering him? It was absurd of course but maybe, just maybe..did he have a little secret desire for his brother? But it was completely ridiculous to think such a thing. It was much more likely that the blond was simply reluctant to relinquish the security blanket of anonymity that he'd grown so used to, even if it 'would' be more practical. Right?

Later after having escorted Naruto back to his apartment, Itachi finally made his way over to his parent's house. Sasuke pulled into the driveway directly after him and the two met on the walk. Sasuke sneered at his brother.

"Were you out with your little pet freak again?" Itachi was getting seriously sick of these petty verbal attacks.

"At least I can get what I want. I hear 'you've' been having some troubles." The smug look instantly dropped from his little brother's face.

"Who the hell told you that? Was it the dobe? He doesn't know shit! I can 'always' get what I want, and what I want 'far' exceeds anything you've ever had. I 'will' have it, soon." The fuming Sasuke strutted past his brother, into the house and promptly slammed the door in Itachi's face. Itachi remained standing there outside for a moment, eyebrows raised.

"Well now, 'that' hit a nerve," he thought to himself. His eyebrows then slowly lowered back down into a frown as he found himself wondering whether this might mean that he had just goaded Sasuke into redoubling his efforts. That slight, nagging little uneasy feeling was returning. He shook it off quickly though and stepped up to open the door. Finding it locked, he heaved a put-upon sigh and fished his keys out of his pocket.

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Sasuke stomped up the wide staircase, down the hall and into his room. He shoved the door hard behind him but his robe hanging on the back billowed out, slowing the momentum so that it culminated in a quiet click. The irritated Uchiha re-opened the door yanking the robe off it's hook and slammed it once more, this time with a satisfying bang. After pacing noisily around the room for a few minutes, he finally stopped to pull a journal from his bookcase and slapped it down on the desk, slumping down into his chair and settling in to write. He continued to sit there for nearly two hours, his hand, which had flown furiously across the page in the beginning, slowing down as he went on. By the time he laid his pen down and straightened, lifting his arms to stretch out cramped muscles, he had calmed down completely.

Leaning back in the chair he let his mind wander for awhile. A picture of his coveted Kyuubi grew in his mind's eye. The insinuation that he couldn't have him, coming from his brother of all people, really ticked him off to no end. It just rankled all the more for the fact that he really 'was' having trouble. Even after all this time the blond boy hadn't given him an inch. He knew it wasn't that he was straight either because if that was the case he would have simply explained it right off the bat. No, Kyuubi obviously didn't have a problem with his gender. What could it be? Most people in Sasuke's situation would have just cut their losses and found someone else. He was well aware of this, but Sasuke had already had lots..and lots of someone elses. There was something about Kyuubi. The boy had gotten under his skin like nobody else. If a friend had asked him why he was so determined to have this one person, he would have just stated that he was gorgeous and that was that. Or perhaps he might have claimed that he was in it for the challenge. The truth was that he really couldn't define it as easily as all that. He honestly liked everything about Kyuubi. He was talented, which was something that always fascinated Sasuke. Words couldn't convey his disappointment when he had found that he couldn't do the amazing things Itachi could. Kyuubi was also nothing if not sincere he would never give himself to just anyone and he would never give less than his all. Somehow the youngest Uchiha just 'knew' that if he could win this boy over he would be happy. It was as simple and as complicated as that. The smiles the blond gave out so freely to other people were like magic. Sasuke wanted to be the one receiving such smiles that could make one feel warm and cared for and 'special'. He wanted that. He wanted Kyuubi, but he was running out of ideas.

As he sat in contemplation his hand had moved of it's own accord to take up the pen once more and he was idly scratching out a description of that smile that was the focus of his thoughts. Painstakingly pulling himself back to the world outside of his head, he noticed what he was doing and picked up the journal to read over what he'd written. With a shrug, the journal was clapped shut and Sasuke stood to replace it on the bookcase. As he slid the leather bound book back into place he spared a glance to the long line of similar books that took up the entire shelf. Suddenly his movement paused. A perfect alabaster brow wrinkled in thought and then a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Quickly he pulled the book back off the shelf and sat himself back down at the desk, the pen flew rapidly across the page once more, halting occasionally to scratch something out or just to wait, poised above the paper for it's owner to finish a thought. Uchiha Sasuke didn't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning but when he did, it was with an odd sense of contentment.

(A/N; Ok, I know that the last chapter was basically a montage that barreled through a few weeks of dick-all and not much happened in this chap either but I promise things will pick up. It's all in the plan baby. Later!)


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 17

Naruto stepped back as far as he could go in the fairly crowded space to take a better look at his work. It was just about finished. He had made good time, he reflected happily. This was one of those pieces that had gone so smoothly it practically created itself. As soon as he had gotten over the initial decision of what medium to work in by going with a mixed media piece. His inspiration had taken over and never wavered. He hadn't hit a single rough patch and he was quite satisfied with the results. Now he only hoped that his boyfriend liked it as well. The thought made him a little nervous.

"But then I'm nervous too often about too many things," he thought.

"Kyuubi? I can see you 'not' working over there," came Haku's voice from the other side of his easel. "Can I see it yet?" the brunet whined. Naruto paused to think that over. He did have a few finishing touches to make yet.

"Actually... yeah I guess you can look now. It's close enough to being finished." Haku grinned and hopped excitedly around the easel to get his first look of Naruto's latest work. He stopped short at the sight, his mouth forming a little 'o'. Then a second later a big smile was spreading across his face.

"That... is Awesome! Oh wow, you did such a great job!"

"Yeah?" the blond asked hopefully. Haku grabbed the back of his friend's neck and pulled the blond head down to his chest where he squeezed it and ruffled his hair comically, laughing at the boy's struggles to get away.

"'Yeah?' Of course 'yeah'." He let the now flushed and thoroughly annoyed blond back up. "You've done a fabulous job! I swear it's the best thing you've ever done to date. Itachi will totally love it."

"Oooh Kyuubi! That is so cool!" Naruto spun around to find Ino standing on his other side looking over his piece with obvious appreciation. "Can I ask where your inspiration for this came from?" A slight pinkish tinge rose in the boy's scarred cheeks.

"Well, I guess I was inspired by my boyfriend." Ino's interest instantly perked up and her mouth stretched into a positively evil grin.

"Your boyfriend? Is he really super hot? Oh I bet he is! He must be to inspire 'this'. He must be 'wild' in bed right? Did you get a vision after a massive orgasm?"

"Ohmygod Ino shut up!" The slight pinkish tinge had become beet red so fast his legs felt weak.

"What? That can really happen. This one time..."

"No!!" Naruto cut in. "No! No time! Ever!"

"Come on! My hot guy friend with a hot boyfriend? I'm gonna need some details here." Haku could barely contain his laughter at Naruto's stricken face. He decided to join in the fun naturally.

"Oh he's hot alright. He's also a good dancer 'and' a real gentleman."

"Really?" The brunet nodded with mock seriousness.

"Oh yes. Of course you know what they say about the quiet ones." Ino squealed inarticulately and clapped her hands.

"Haku, stop it," Naruto whined futilely.

"He tries to be subtle about it but he's definitely pretty possessive." Haku went on as if he hadn't heard his friend.

"So you think he's like, extra dominating in the bedroom?" Ino asked far too loudly for Naruto's liking.

"Oh yeah. I can totally see some bondage in little Kyuu chan's future." With a strangled squeak, the poor blond boy clapped his hands over his very red little virgin ears and his two friends completely lost it.

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Kiba traipsed through the halls in high spirits on the way to the advanced art classroom. His new girlfriend had that class last and he had told her he would pick her up there when school let out. He smiled goofily as he remembered how she had blushed when he made the offer. She looked so pretty when she blushed. He truly believed that had found 'the' perfect person for him. She was kind and sweet and innocent. She was a great listener who got all of his jokes, actually thought he was smart, and never seemed to get annoyed by how loud and hyper he could be. She even called him a gentleman! Hyuuga Hinata was completely and perfectly adorable in every way.

It had taken him quite awhile to get around her shyness. He had talked to her every single day and done everything in his power to make her smile, and every last second had been more than worth it. When she had agreed to go out with him his chest had swelled with the most wonderful feeling that had yet to go away. Now he probably looked like a big idiot smiling away at nothing all the time over the smallest thought of her, and he didn't give a crap.

"I'm so in love," he thought, his goofy smile growing even wider. Weaving through the crowds of students that had just begun to flood out into the hall, he reached the classroom door and gave it a firm knock to make sure to be heard over the rising din. Hinata herself opened the door for him. Kiba leaned in close when he saw her.

"Aaww! You were waiting for me," he said waggling his eyebrows at her. The expected blush warmed her cheeks and he gave a little chuckle.

"Hello Kiba. I'm almost ready to go. I just need to pick up my things." Kiba almost missed that cute stutter of hers but at the same time it was good to know that she felt more comfortable around him now. Besides, he knew he could still make her stutter if he wanted to.

"Alright. Hey, do I ever get to see what you're workin' on in here?" he asked craning his neck to stick his head past her and look around the room. He was only teasing her really. If she didn't want him to look at her stuff then he would respect that. Suddenly however he caught sight of a familiar tuft of bright blond hair. 'Kyuubi?' his eyes narrowed as he took a more careful look at the blond boy. Yes, that was him alright. He was holding his hands over his ears and his face was quite red, and there was Haku and Ino laughing at him.

"Hey what's 'he' doing here?!" he asked in surprise. Hinata looked around, confused.

"What are you talking about Kiba?"

"Him, right there. What's he doing here?" he asked again pointing at Naruto. Hinata still looked a little confused.

"You mean Naruto Kun?" A second later she realized why he might be surprised.

"Naruto? What are you..." At that moment Kiba noticed a very familiar hoody clinging about the blond's shoulders.

"Oh my God no way! Naruto?! That's Naruto?!! Holy freakin' crap!" He was almost shouting now and everyone turned to see what was going on. Naruto and Haku shot a look at each other and practically ran for the door, Ino swiftly following.

"Kiba don't be so damn loud," shouted Ino. By this time though, Kiba was laughing too hard to respond.

"Hahhah oh God! heheheh Sasuke..Kyuubi...and it was you!" he gasped out. "Oh my God that's hilarious! Aw man, wait 'til I tell Sakura!"

"Hey! You can't just go around telling people!" Haku protest.

"Oh but it's just too good! You 'have' to let me tell Sakura. She won't tell Sasuke. She thinks 'Kyuubi' is the coolest thing on two legs."

"Well maybe just Sakura," Naruto sighed. Kiba started laughing again.

"Dude I don't know how you actually managed to keep this up for 'three years'. I mean that's insane!" Kiba was given a quick run-down of the whole story. He especially liked the part about Naruto going out with Sauke's brother.

Naruto found himself feeling strangely ok about this. He supposed if anybody had to figure it out, Kiba was probably the person he would have chosen himself. Actually having been 'discovered' like that without any untoward results was sort of liberating. Somehow the idea of maybe a few more people knowing didn't seem like such a big deal as it did before.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Later on that night Naruto had just gotten home from work a few minutes ago and was now on the phone with Itachi. He was telling his boyfriend about the earlier incident with Kiba.

"But it turned out ok I guess. Kiba's a pretty nice guy after all. He just thought it was funny and he promised not to go shouting it around the school."

"So you didn't really mind then?"

"Not...really. Now that I think about it, it 'was' kind of funny. Especially from his perspective."

"Do you think you could handle telling some other people?"

"Maybe... I'll think about it some more and get back to you on that. Oh! I had something I wanted to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Well, the school's annual art show is coming up soon. Like next week... and I was wondering if.. you know if you don't have any other plans for Sunday... if you maybe wanted to go with me?" Itachi chuckled at the blond's nervousness.

"Actually, my family is in the habit of attending that show. It's usually got a few impressive entries that are worth the look. I would be very interested in going with you and seeing what you've put in."

"Ok" came Naruto's soft, pleased answer. "It's a date then."

(A/N; And now Kiba knows, and Sakura by proxy. Who knows what will happen next? Well I do! lol See ya!)


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 18

Uchiha Sasuke sat in his ridiculously expensive car giving himself a mental pep talk. His right leg had been bouncing nervously for the last five minutes and a folded piece of paper in his hand had been tapping against the steering wheel for just as long. What he was about to do had seemed like a fabulous idea all up until he had pulled up here. The doubts had set in the moment the engine had shut down. Therein lay the problem with having a 'car' as a confidence booster. You had to step out and leave it behind at some point. Perhaps he could find himself a nice, portable lucky charm. Nervousness, however, was not really a condition that Sasuke was overly familiar with. Deciding eventually that it didn't look good on him, he pulled himself up out of the car, fed the meter and began walking determinedly toward the entrance to Shuriken Studios.

He wiped his sweaty palm on his pants with a grimace before taking the door handle and sucking in a deep, fortifying breath. This 'should' go well, he told himself. Kyuubi was obviously the romantic type. He would love this kind of thing. Nodding firmly to himself he opened the door and walked in. When the familiar jingle died down he noticed that he could hear some music that he recognized being played quietly. Stevie Ray Vaughan, the name came to him within a few seconds. The blond boy behind the counter was moving a little to the beat as he worked away. The music was coming from his headphones. Kyuubi liked the blues. Sasuke smiled a little at that. While it reminded him of his brother, the music actually made him feel more comfortable, the familiarity was soothing. He cleared his throat but the blond simply continued nodding along with the beat. Sasuke smirked and reaching out a hand, plucked one side of the headphones from the blond's ear and loudly cleared his throat again. Naruto's head jerked up in surprise.

"Now I see why you're not usually wearing these on the job," the Uchiha quipped.

"Oh... it's you again," said Naruto in a bored tone. "What are.." Sasuke held up a hand in his face to forestall the usual tirade.

"I just have something I want to give you."

"Is it alive?" the blond asked with a wary look. Sasuke chuckled and pulled a bunch of daisies and a folded piece of paper from behind his back. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Daisies?"

"Yeah.. You just didn't seem much like a roses kind of guy," replied Sasuke as he handed over the flowers. Naruto was amazed that he had put any thought into it at all and hadn't just automatically gone for the most expensive thing in the store. Perhaps he had a bit of sense after all.

"What's this?" he asked, separating the paper from the flowers.

"That's for you too." Sasuke kept his face as straight as possible while the blond unfolded the paper.

"Well this should be interesting," Naruto thought to himself. "Huh, poetry?" As he read through the words on the page written in free verse, his eye's began to grow wider.

"Sasuke, did you write this?" The Uchiha nodded somewhat stiffly. He was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. The blond was looking at him with a completely astonished expression. "Wow, that's...I mean this is really, 'really' good! I can't believe it. You are 'so' talented!"

"What?" Sasuke's head shot up, his own eye's widening and his mouth dropping open.

"I said you're really talented. This is amazing! Have you written more? You must do a lot of writing."

"You think I'm 'talented'?" Finally noticing his shocked expression, Naruto couldn't help but smile at him.

"Of course! 'I' couldn't possibly do something like this to save my life." The stunned Uchiha cleared his throat and tried to quickly reign in his emotions.

"Well I'm.. glad you like it." The smile promptly dropped off the blonds face as he searched for a good way to say this. With a sigh he just plunged in.

"I do... but I'm afraid I can't accept it..."

"What? Why not?" Sasuke asked in confusion. Naruto bit his lip awkwardly.

"Look, I already have a boyfriend." A scowl came unbidden to the Uchiha's face.

"Who? Who is he?" he demanded. Neither of them payed any attention to the jingle of the door.

"I can't tell you..."

"Bullshit! You could tell me who it is if there really 'was' someone else. You're just lying to me aren't you?!" Naruto could feel his own anger rising. He did not appreciate being put on the spot and then accused like this.

"I do 'not' lie! Not that it matters. Even if I didn't have a boyfriend, I still wouldn't go out with you. There's just 'no way' I could ever manage to wrap my brain around that!" Sasuke's response was interrupted by the sound of snickering and both boys looked toward the door to find Kiba and Sakura standing there. Realizing they'd been discovered Kiba burst into laughter and after continuing to stand stock-still with a dumbfounded look on her face for a moment, Sakura followed with a helpless giggle. Sasuke's face hardened and he stormed past them and out the door, not sparing a last glance for either them or Naruto.

"Oh man that was awesome! Way to give 'im hell!" Kiba cheered.

"Kiba, this isn't really a good time,"said Naruto. Kiba quickly sobered up a bit.

"Oh yeah, uh, sure man. I get ya. We'll just come back another time ok?" The blond nodded and Kiba ushered Sakura out the door. The pink haired girl called out a bewildered goodbye and Naruto put on a weak smile and waved to her. When they had left the shop. He groaned quietly and let his head drop onto the counter top, narrowly missing the flowers that still rested there.

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Sasuke stalked angrily through the halls of Shinobi High on his way to the washroom. He had been in the absolute foulest of moods since his encounter, or 'total shutdown' by Kyuubi a full three days before. Most people had been wisely staying out of his way during this time and he had yet to find a sufficient release for his extreme frustration and anger. He couldn't believe that he had been so thoroughly snubbed. Every last second of the day that his mind was not entirely occupied with something else, like school work, he found himself dwelling once more on what had happened. That blasted boy obviously just didn't get it. Sasuke had actually brought him flowers and even written him poetry! Did he think that Uchiha Sasuke did things like that for just anyone?! After going to the effort of actually...'wooing' someone for the first time ever, he had actually been shot down, humiliatingly, in front of laughing spectators no less! Sasuke wanted to scream bloody murder... and/or 'commit' bloody murder.

It was so far beyond unfair. For one amazing moment he'd thought it had actually worked. Kyuubi had praised him and that gorgeous smile had finally been directed at him. The blond had even called him talented! For all the people that kissed his ass on a daily basis, nobody had ever said those words to him sincerely. But then he had denied him, gave him the old I-have-a-boyfriend line. What a crock of shit! Actually Sasuke didn't know which he would hate more; that Kyuubi would lie to get out of dating him or that Kyuubi might really 'have' a boyfriend. One was humiliating but the other meant that somebody else was touching his Kyuubi. The thought had Sasuke snarling at the empty hall around him. Whipping around the next corner, he felt something thump harshly against him and focusing properly in front of himself now, he saw a familiar hooded figure staggering back.

Naruto was just making his way back to his class after a quick trip to the washroom when someone came careening around the corner. He slammed into the other body before he could stop himself and almost fell back on his ass. Gripping the wall beside him for support, he gave his head a shake and looked up, only to almost choke on his own tongue at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke. Oh crap! Knowing what a horrible mood the boy would be in, he had been successfully avoiding him for days. Of course it just figured that he would finally run into him, 'literally', when there were no possible witnesses around.

As Sasuke glared at the hooded boy, one thing rose up above all the rest of the turmoil in his mind. His brother's voice, clear as day in his memory, taunting him about how he had what he wanted and Sasuke didn't. The look that came into his eyes frightened the hell out of Naruto and he froze like a dear in the headlights as Sasuke's hands reached out for him. Grabbing the smaller boy by the front of his hoody, Sasuke dragged him through the door on the right, into the locker room. Naruto stumbled at the sudden lurch of motion and scrambled to stay upright, the worn soles of his sneakers slipping on the tiled floor. He clawed at the hands that had him in a choking hold that kept tightening as he struggled and pulled. Sasuke dragged him past the benches and lockers into the shower area beyond and threw the boy with the force of all his anger at the unforgiving wall. Naruto's head crashed into the tile and he slid to his knees on the floor, coughing and gasping for breath. Suddenly his breath was taken from him again by the shock of freezing cold water that soaked through to the skin instantly. He tried to crawl out from under the spray but was kicked back violently, his knees slipping out from under him. Sasuke stared down at the shivering mass of soaking wet boy huddled on the cold tile before him. Part of him wanted to carry on, maybe until there was nothing left, but at the same time he felt sick to his stomach. He forced himself to just turn around and walk away.

A few moments later Naruto reached a hand up and turned off the water. He pulled himself up just enough to sit slumped against the wall and wondered vaguely what the hell he was going to do now. He couldn't go back to class like this and he didn't relish the idea of walking home in his sopping clothes either. Plus his head hurt like hell! Perhaps he could call Haku in a few minutes when class let out and see if he had any bright ideas. That was, if his phone still worked. The blond pulled his cell out and flipped it open. Thankfully it had been in a pocket on his left side which had managed to stay somewhat dryer.It appeared to be in working order. Flipping it shut again he settled in to wait, letting his hands drop into his lap while his head fell back against the wall. For the next few minutes he concentrated his energy on calming his shivers while he reflected on how much longer the youngest Uchiha might be planning to stay angry.

(A/N; Wooooh! Poor Sasuke...Poor Naruto! Oh the horror! hehehe)


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter19

Naruto couldn't remember the last time he'd been so glad that work was over. He was so tired. He'd had trouble sleeping last night and he had a bit of a sniffle from sitting there soaking in cold water for so long after Sasuke's stunt yesterday. It was Saturday so he'd been working all day, which he supposed was better than school but now his last customer of the day was walking out the door and Naruto thought that if he'd had to tattoo just one more person today he'd have gone postal. All he wanted was to cuddle up with his boyfriend and do absolutely nothing if he could get away with it. Itachi had gotten in that morning and might not have been doing much while Naruto was at work, but maybe would be up for some mindless T.V. anyway?

After a quick clean-up, Naruto said goodbye to all of his co-workers and picked up his bag, waving one last time to Raidou as he walked out the door. Trudging slowly down the street, eyes on the ground, he suddenly felt a hand clamp like a vice around his arm. Another hand clapped over his mouth, stifling his startled scream and he was hauled forcibly into a nearby alley. His body was spun around and pushed up against a dingy brick wall. A deep shot of fear raced through his system when his head stopped spinning and he realized that his attacker was Uchiha Sasuke. It was probably pretty safe to say that he was still angry.

Taking in the frightened look in the smaller boy's eyes and the minute trembling of his body, Sasuke leaned in closer, relaxing his grip just slightly. Removing his hand from the boy's mouth, he brought it up to gently caress through his soft blond hair in an almost soothing gesture but the hard look never left his eyes and Naruto's trembling only increased.

"Kyuubi," he spoke finally. "Your playing-hard-to-get may have been cute at first, but it's been getting really old. I've played this game with you long enough. I think I've been very patient." Naruto scoffed but then swallowed it back down at the Uchiha's glare. "I've put a lot more effort in for you than I ever have for anybody else and I do 'not' appreciate being humiliated in return," he growled his hand tightening to a fist in Naruto's hair.

Naruto winced but his fear was actually beginning to dissipate, being overwhelmed by a slow rising tide of incredulous anger. This idiot was talking as if he actually thought he was 'owed' something. Naruto himself wasn't particularly pleased with the way things had turned out. It was unfortunate that there had been witnesses to that scene, but it certainly wasn't his fault!

"After all the trouble I've gone to, not to mention the indignity I've suffered, I expect some kind of compensation. It's time for you to stop playing around and just give in." The 'tide' was becoming a veritable Tsunami! Why that stubborn, pompous, God Damned Bastard! Naruto honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. As 'if' he had given the jerk the slightest encouragement! As if he had ever given even the tiniest iota of any 'possible' reason to believe that he would 'ever' go out with him!!

A deep scowl knotted dark blond brows and Naruto was just about to state his opinion on the matter when the hand in his hair curled around the back of his neck and his head was suddenly jerked forward. His eyes shot wide open as he felt harsh, unforgiving lips crush against his own. What the Hell?!! For a split second he was too shocked to even think, but then he tried his best to pull away. The Uchiha just followed and drove him harder against the wall. He ignored the blond's struggling and bit down on the boy's bottom lip in an attempt to force a reaction that was not forthcoming. Finally he pulled away after an especially hard shove to his chest and gave a self-satisfied little smirk, licking the lingering taste of the blond from his own lips. Naruto's anger completely exploded and a coinciding 'pain' exploded in the region of Sasuke's left eye as it made sudden, violent contact with Naruto's right fist.

"What the Hell do you think you're Doing?!" he yelled. His left hand scrubbed furiously at his mouth, his now sore right hand held protectively to his chest. "Compensation?! I don't owe you Shit!! Arrogant Sonofa Bitch!! Why cant you just take 'no' for an answer?! I made myself 'perfectly' clear. You're the one who's been deluding yourself and 'you' humiliated yourself! God Damnit! Don't you get it? I Don't Like You! I will 'never' go out with you because I know all about you Uchiha Sasuke! I know exactly what kind of nasty things you're capable of and what a complete and utter asshole you can be. I've 'always' known! Hell, even 'now' you'll scare me and hurt me and not give a shit about it. All you ever care about is yourself and what 'you' want. Just Stay the Hell away from me!!!"

Sasuke stood, shocked into silence and holding his throbbing eye as the blond ran off out of the alley and out of sight down the street. He'd never seen anyone so livid. Did Kyuubi really think he was such a cruel and horrible jerk? Well obviously he did. The boy had actually punched him in the eye! Shit! that 'really' hurt! Nobody had ever done that to him before. The Uchiha leaned heavily against the brick wall. That punch had snapped him right out of his previous anger and now it was just beginning to dawn on him that he had just totally undone whatever progress he might have made. Kyuubi was probably never going to smile at him again! Somehow that thought caused the most incredibly lonely feeling to sweep over him. He frowned and then winced at the pull to his facial muscles. For the first time ever, he felt he was beginning to truly understand that quote about pride going before the fall.

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Naruto was, of course, a little late getting home. No sooner had he flopped down, exhausted on the old couch that creaked out a complaint at the abuse when the knock came to the door, signaling Itachi's arrival. With a groan at having to move again the blond heaved himself up off the couch and shuffled to the door. The second Itachi was standing before him, he collapsed against his boyfriend's tall frame. Itachi frowned, realizing instantly that Naruto was distressed.

"Are you alright?" he asked. The blond head gave a negative shake against his chest.

"I feel like shit," came the muffled voice.

"What happened?"

"Sasuke," Naruto replied lifting his head back up. He gave a drawn out sigh. "I've had a hell of a few days." Itachi's frown deepened and he pulled the blond over to the couch and sat them both down.

"What has he done now?" Naruto took a deep breath and hesitantly began to tell Itachi what had been happening with Sasuke. He hadn't bothered to even mention the incident with the poem before because he had believed that with his flat refusal, that would be the end of it and there would be no point in upsetting his boyfriend. So that was where he had to begin now. Itachi's expression grew darker and darker as the blond went on. Hearing that Sasuke had actually kissed 'his' Naruto though, had his blood boiling in outrage and he would not allow the boy to continue any further with his story.

"I've heard enough," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Naruto, you are going to tell him who you are... and then I'm going to destroy him." Naruto almost smiled but then he realized Itachi was serious.

"I've already handled it. There's no need to go looking for any 'more' trouble," he protested.

"I beg to differ.." Itachi began but was cut off.

"Itachi, he's your brother. Please, just let this go. It will never happen again. The semester is over as it is..."

"You have to tell him Naruto."

"You said you wouldn't force me," the blond reminded him.

"Why are you so against this?" The anger he'd been trying to hold back was beginning to spill over and he stood from the couch abruptly, Naruto following.

"I've had 'enough' with the confrontations and I don't want you beating up your brother! (No matter how stupid he's being)" Itachi felt that uneasy feeling rushing back full force, on top of his rage.

"Why are you defending him?! Why 'would' you?!"

"I'm not!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"Did you like it?!" Itachi growled. The blond stepped back, eyes widening.

"What?"

"You won't let me get rid of him. You don't really want to get rid of him do you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Tell him the truth and let me teach him a lesson!"

"You're not listening! I told you I took care of it! He's your family Itachi! You might get on each other's nerves but you don't want to permanently damage your relationship! I can't let you hurt him. Not because of me."

"Yeah, you took care of it," Itachi retorted sarcastically. "You were so 'pissed off' that you feel the need to protect him huh? I can just imagine how you 'took care' of him."

"I can't 'believe' you would dare to accuse me of... Get out! Just get the hell out!" Tears of frustration, hurt, anger and just plain exhaustion had filled his blue eyes and were beginning to spill down his cheeks.

"Fine!" Itachi hissed and turned away, walking out without another word. The blond dropped back down onto the couch. Grabbing a throw pillow he buried his face in it and screamed until his throat hurt on top of everything else. God damn Uchiha's! Finally, curling up on his side, he hugged the pillow tightly to his chest and cried himself to sleep.

(A/N; Oh look there 'is' some damn angst in here. I guess every story need a little bit of it. Revelations are coming. Stock up on your popcorn!)


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 20

"Hey Kyuu chan, come here and help me move this thing." The blond boy plodded over to his friend and lifted the other end of the wooden divider he was trying to move. Together they carried it across the gymnasium and Naruto stood by listlessly while Haku set it up to his liking. It was Sunday afternoon and the two boys were helping to get everything set up and ready for the art show that evening. Haku's smile of satisfaction dimmed as he caught sight of his friend's face.

"Kyuubi, you've been acting totally depressed since you got here. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Naruto just dropped his gaze to the floor. Affecting a sunny tone, Haku attempted to cheer his friend up.

"Come on Kyuu, it's almost graduation. Tonight's the art show. Don't you want to show Itachi that last entry of yours?" Naruto looked back up at him and his eyes shone with tears. It suddenly occurred to Haku that he had probably said the wrong thing.

"I don't think he's coming," the blond choked out and with a little prompting, he slowly managed to get the whole story out to his friend. Haku pulled him into his arms and hugged him close.

"It's ok... I'm sure everything will turn out alright," he murmured quietly. Damn Uchiha's! Maybe 'Itachi' couldn't beat up his brother, but 'he' sure as hell wouldn't mind taking on the job... and then he'd kick Itachi's ass for good measure! Unfortunately, he knew that wasn't really what Naruto needed to hear right now. So he just continued to sooth his friend to the best of his abilities.

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Itachi entered the transformed gymnasium of Shinobi High School with his parents, Sasuke trailing silently behind them. For awhile he had actually almost convinced himself that he wasn't going to come to this event. He had spent the night fuming and waiting for his little brother to show his face at home but if the younger Uchiha had come in before Itachi had finally gone to bed then he'd been very quiet and made himself scarce. Itachi had woken up feeling quite a bit calmer and couldn't help thinking that he'd been a little unfair to Naruto. Then a few minutes later he'd run into Sasuke in the kitchen and gotten his first good look at the terribly painful looking black eye his brother was sporting. A sinking feeling had developed in his gut as it became abundantly clear that he had falsely accused his poor little blond. Suddenly all he could think about was the tears in those big blue eyes right before he'd walked out. He really needed to talk to him and actually listen to what he had to say.

Naruto's phone had been turned off and he wasn't at home so he could only wait until the show tonight. With nothing much else to do all day he had continued to think about what had happened, mentally replaying and analyzing Naruto's words, and the more he'd thought about it, the more he felt like a heel. His boyfriend had been so stressed out and upset and had looked to him for comfort. He'd told him he was assaulted and sexually harassed and all Itachi could focus on was the idea that someone had touched what was 'his'. He hadn't really taken into account how Naruto himself must have felt. He should have been more angry for the pain and fear that his boyfriend had suffered than for the encroachment on his territory. Instead of offering Naruto comfort and support, he had blamed the situation on him. He'd gone and let his possessive tendencies cloud his judgment and now, after sleeping on it and calming himself, it was obvious that he was being suspicious over nothing. With a background like Naruto's, of 'course' he'd be worried about preserving his family relationships, and the blond had indeed already handled things. From the looks of Sasuke, he'd done a damn fine job of 'handling' it.

Politely ditching his family, Itachi began to wander around in search of Naruto. After a few minutes with no luck he started to spare half of his attention for the art that he was passing by. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of something that grabbed his whole attention. Himself. Those were 'his own' eyes he was looking at. It was a mixed media piece on a fair sized board, about four by three feet. It showed a partial of his face, focusing on the eye's. The rest of his face became more obscured, parts covered with red clouds. There was practically no outline at all. Somehow the image managed to have a great deal of spacial depth. The whole thing was done mostly in shades of red. The shadows were deep and dark and an air of mystery enveloped it all. The level of detail was incredible as well and the method alone created a very unique effect. It appeared to have been under-painted. Perhaps at one point it had shown the entire face more clearly, and upon closer inspection some of the depth was real. The surface was textured, built up so that the image actually stood out in relief. Both the obscurity and the higher detail had been achieved through an interesting use of... pastel maybe,and something else, with highlights in conte over-top of everything. It was altogether an incredible piece of work. Itachi was completely blown away. Of course he didn't need to look at the tag beside it to know who the artist was, but he automatically looked anyway and sure enough there was the name Uzumaki Naruto. Shit.. now he felt even worse.

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Sasuke really didn't want to be here. He was walking about, bored as hell but holding his head high and projecting an air of complete confidence as though practically 'daring' anyone to comment on his black eye. He took note of a small crowd of mostly girls that were hovering around one particular area, babbling and giggling excitedly and with a mild curiosity, he wandered over to investigate. As it turned out they were looking at some very familiar pictures. The ones that had first triggered his interest in Kyuubi. He couldn't help staring at them all over again. Idly he tried to think of the photographer's name but found that he couldn't remember so he glanced over to the information tag. Yamanaka Ino, yes that was the girl, and below that was the name of the model... Uzumaki Naruto?!

Sasuke did a double take, leaning his face in close but the letters remained the same no matter how long he stared. The babbling around him started to make sense of itself and he picked up on little snippets of broken phrases here and there.

"...the guy in the hood..."

"Oh my god isn't he that..."

"...ieve it! That's what he looks like..."

Sasuke's head began to buzz. This wasn't right. This couldn't be right. There must have been some mistake. That was 'Kyuubi'. Kyuubi wasn't Naruto! Naruto wasn't Kyuubi! Naruto couldn't be Kyuubi because Naruto wasn't anyone. Naruto wasn't a person at all! He was just a faceless, voiceless entity! Sasuke could remember, right from day one. He had spoken to the hooded form in the back corner of the classroom and gotten no response. That vague head shape had stayed bowed even when he'd begun to tease, to taunt and then to throw insults. He had used him as a platform to step up on, to help cement his reputation right away and there had never been the slightest problem. It was so easy that it had become a habit. It had just been too easy to forget that there was anything 'under' that hood. He had never had to feel any kind of remorse for taking out his frustrations on Naruto because he wasn't a real person. He was just there. He never fought back. He never even spoke, and nobody fought for him. Nobody gave a damn because there was nothing 'there' to care about. Naruto didn't even have a face. Naruto couldn't have a smile like that! It just 'couldn't' be! There was no way that the one he'd been pushing and tripping and shoving into lockers was...

Sasuke's mind paused in it's jumbled rambling as he suddenly remembered how Kyuubi had disliked him intensely and immediately as though he'd already had some kind of grudge against him. He remembered how truly frightened he'd looked when Sasuke had shoved him against the wall, and then there were his words. He had said that he didn't like Sasuke because he knew him. That he knew just how horrible he could be. Had he really been doing all those nasty things to 'Kyuubi'? Was Kyuubi really Naruto? He mentally winced at the recent memory of a small figure, curled on the floor, wet and shivering and gasping for air. 'That' had tugged at something inside of him even when it was just the hooded freak, but he might have done just that to Kyuubi. The thought made him seriously nauseous. He had to find out if it was true. He had to know! Right now!

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Itachi was still having no luck finding Naruto but he did catch sight of his little brother. Sasuke seemed to be studying something very closely, which was odd as he usually pretended disinterest in this entire show every year, on principle. From here Itachi could just make out the dark ring around Sasuke's eye and he couldn't help a small smirk that crossed his face. He wondered absently what his brother looked so tense about as he cast another look around for Naruto. His eyes were drawn back to Sasuke though when the younger Uchiha spun around quite suddenly, his face even paler than usual and began to cast his gaze about the room as though he was looking for someone. The boy looked almost panicked for some reason.

Itachi frowned, perplexed, as watched him dart off quickly, still turning about and craning his neck to look through the crowd. What could have thrown Sasuke into such an agitated state? His curiosity had been thoroughly stirred now and he headed toward the exhibit that Sasuke had shown such intense interest in.

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Naruto was terribly discouraged. He felt even worse now than he had earlier. He had been looking all over the place for a glimpse of Itachi since the event began and it was beginning to look as though he really wasn't going to show up after all. Perhaps it was about time to give up now. There was no point in continuing to torment himself. He tried to remember that Itachi had been a complete jerk and recapture some of his anger to push away the hurt but it wasn't doing any good. Now he just felt even more upset. He had been hoping that Itachi at least wanted to try to talk things out but then, why 'would' he if he really did believe that Naruto was capable of two timing him and his own brother? With a painful sigh he began to make his way to the nearest door, deciding to just go home right now and avoid that awful feeling he knew he would experience if he kept waiting around until he found himself standing alone in a huge empty room.

As he reached the door and pulled it open, Sasuke's attentive gaze just caught the movement and honed in on the old familiar hoody. Quickly he began to weave and dodge and outright shove through the crowd to door where he had just seen that hood disappear. He had to catch up to him before he left the building.

(A/N; Oh my! Was that a cliffy? XD I'm glad nobody tried to kill me over Naru and Itachi's fight, but then, if I was killed, you'd never find out what happens! lol Tune in next week same bat-time, same bat-channel...Ha just yankin' your chain! You don't have to wait 'til next week.)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 21

Itachi circled around a group giggling teenage girls, situating himself before the pictures that he had seen his brother poring over and found himself staring at a collection of pictures of Naruto. His eyes widened in surprise and interest. A memory came up of Naruto talking about a series of photos that he had posed for, back when they'd first met. The shots were very well executed. He had to mentally applaud the photographer. She'd done a most excellent job for a high school student and of course Naruto looked beyond gorgeous. An irritating sliver of possessiveness dug in at the realization that Sasuke had been staring so hard at half naked pictures of his boyfriend. Why had he looked so freaked out though? Unless... Itachi wrenched his gaze away from the pictures to look over at the information tag, and his suspicion was confirmed. Sasuke had just discovered who Kyuubi was, which meant that it was Naruto that he had run off looking for. Now there was no way of really knowing what the boy's reaction would be. Suddenly Naruto's extreme reluctance to place himself in exactly this situation was making perfect sense.

Itachi hurried off in the direction that he had seen Sasuke take. He swerved in and around the people choking off the aisles keeping a look out for both Naruto 'and' Sasuke now. Only a couple of minutes later he caught sight of his brother moving purposefully towards the door on one side of the room. He immediately set to the task of catching up but it was easier said than done. Slipping between two older men he glanced up again and saw Sasuke disappear through the door.

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Sasuke rushed through the door and spotted a despondent Naruto trudging wearily down the empty hallway. Without thinking he called out 'Kyuubi' and the hooded boy turned automatically. For a moment both froze. Naruto knew instantly that Sasuke had figured out the truth. When he had planned for this moment he'd pictured himself in a crowd, with his boyfriend by his side, but he'd been so busy worrying over Itachi today that he'd forgotten all about Ino's pictures. Now he'd let himself get caught alone, 'again'!

"Tell me right now. Are you Kyuubi?" There was no response, as usual. Sasuke was feeling desperate and becoming frustrated quickly. "Tell me who the hell you are!!" he demanded, his volume just short of yelling. He began to move forward, slowly stalking the figure before him and Naruto dropped into a defensive stance like a threatened animal.

"Stay away from me!" he hissed, Sasuke caught it, barely, and was shocked into stillness for a moment at hearing the boy in the hood actually speak for the first time.

"Take off the hood," he ordered as came back to himself. Naruto hesitated for just a second before his body tensed. Sasuke could tell he was about to bolt.

"Wait!" he shouted but Naruto spun around suddenly and took off running in the other direction. With a curse Sasuke immediately jumped to the chase. For a short guy this kid could really run fast, but Sasuke was still gaining on him.

The exit was in sight and Naruto wasn't about to spare the time and energy to look back. He could hear the pounding steps behind him growing closer though and he put on a little extra burst of speed. It wasn't quite enough. He felt a pull at his hoody as Sasuke's hand grabbed the material but this time he wasn't going to let that be his downfall and as he figured the gig was up anyway, he quickly reached to unzip the damn thing. The slight falter in his step was all Sasuke needed however. With a final lunge he tackled the boy and they both went crashing to the floor. Naruto landed awkwardly on his wrist and gasped in pain. Sasuke was already working to try and roll him over. Naruto scrambled desperately to pull himself out from under the bigger boy but he could only properly use one hand. Despite his best efforts he felt himself being flipped and pinned.

"Get off me!!" he screamed. "Just leave me alone!!" Sasuke stopped at the note of fear in his voice. There was a momentary pause where the heavy panting of both boys filled the corridor.

"I just want to see your face," he explained as he determinedly reached up to tug at the hood.

Suddenly Sasuke's eyes flew wide open as he felt himself being lifted up by the back of his shirt and pulled off of the hooded form. He kicked and flailed helplessly as a hand reached out and gave his head a shove that sent him spinning around, his toes barely scraping the floor, his shirt tightening and riding up as the fabric twisted. He found himself face to face with a 'very' scary looking Itachi.

"Get the hell off my boyfriend!" the older boy growled dangerously. The hand that wasn't holding up his brother clenched into a tight fist. Itachi was seriously tempted to blacken Sasuke's other eye but his gaze flicked over to Naruto who was still on the floor and carefully holding his wrist. He still had to talk to him and he'd already made the mistake of not taking care of him once. He gave his brother another warning growl and tossed him aside none too gently. Sasuke stared as Itachi got down on his knees and gently took the boy's hand to look over his wrist.

"It looks like it's just a sprain. We'll wrap it up for a bit," he said quietly. He looked up at Naruto but while the blond's sweater was unzipped his face was still shadowed by that ridiculous hood. Smirking in amusement, he reached for it and then paused, silently asking permission.

"Go ahead," said Naruto. "I knew he'd find out with everyone else today anyway. I just didn't want you running off to confront him right then when you were so pissed off."

"So I can kick his ass now?" They both turned to look at Sasuke who was still in a heap on the floor where he'd landed.

"Go for it," said Naruto dismissively. Itachi grinned evilly at his paling brother.

"I think I'll let him stew in it for a while and then attack when he's not expecting it." Sasuke scowled, unsure of whether Itachi was serious or not.

"Naruto, I'm sorry about what I said. I should never have jumped to such a stupid conclusion." Itachi pulled the hood back and saw the blond smiling tearily.

"I thought you weren't coming," he whispered.

"I can only act like an idiot for so long," Itachi answered wryly. "Besides, I wouldn't have missed seeing your entry for the world. Very impressive piece of work by the way. Wherever did you get your inspiration?" Naruto blushed and giggled sheepishly.

"Forgive me?"

"Yeah" the blond grinned. Without any warning Itachi picked him up, cradled to his chest. "What are you doing?" Naruto squeaked.

"Taking you home."

"Itachi, I only hurt my wrist! I can walk just fine!"

"I'm supposed to take care of you," Itachi airily informed him.

A still speechless Sasuke watched them go. In his rush to find out if Kyuubi was Naruto, he had completely forgotten about his brother 'dating' Naruto. Now he knew. The boy under the hood was his Kyuubi... 'His brother's' Kyuubi, who had every reason to hate his guts. There was no excuse for it. He had brought this on himself. He couldn't even begin to 'count' all the terrible things he had done to Naruto. He had spent three whole years tormenting someone and never given a thought to what kind of an impact he was having on his life. He had acted as though the second he walked away from the scene, it was all over. Never once had he contemplated what happened to the boy 'after' Sasuke had left and already forgotten the incident. Only now after having learned what kind of a person 'Kyuubi' was and a little bit about the life he led outside of school, did it occur to him that the boy didn't just disappear when Sasuke was finished with him, and had to continue to deal with the consequences of 'his' actions long after the fact. It was truly sickening to realize what kind of a person he, himself was. How many times had he stolen the smile from that innocent face? Sasuke had never actually thought of himself as a bad person before. Now he was forced to really consider what he had done, and it was all the more disgusting that he had chosen the nicest, sweetest, most adorable person he knew of, to dump all of his shit on.

"Because, let's face it," the Uchiha thought to himself. "all that time I was bugging him at work he could have been so much more hateful. He couldn't bring himself to be truly mean to me even if he hated me."

Kyuubi hated him. Suddenly he wondered how many other people might hate him. He may have only been his absolute meanest to Naruto, ( and God, he was getting that nauseous feeling again ) but he had been... not exactly nice, to a lot of people... most people... ok pretty much everyone. How many of them had he affected more severely than he'd thought? Did 'anybody' actually like him? Because he was finally realizing that he 'cared'.

Part of him was really pissed off that his brother had just waltzed in taken the blond right out from under his nose, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that he would have had a chance anyway. He had screwed up big time and now Kyuubi would forever be the impossible dream.

(A/N; Ok, I got this all confused before. I've done a couple of pics for this fic and I'm working on some more. If you'd like to see them, the location is on my profile or if you'd rather I just send them to you, drop me a line at: daggethasmail at yahoo dot com. Just type out a 'hey send me some pics'. lol Anyway, just one chapter left to go. When I started posting this I had the idea that I was going to 'make things easier on myself by just not posting any actual sex here...ever. Which is why this was rated T (with out the smex, it's really pretty tame) but I kinda blew that rule right out of the water with 'Jesus what the hell is that?'. So now I'm just changing the rating and posting it anyway. I realize that might be unfair to anyone following this story under the impression that there wouldn't be any. I wouldn't want to cut anyone off from reading the end now. Let's face it though, if you're on this site and reading a yaoi story all the way through then you probably wouldn't be offended by a little naughtiness.(probably read more than you fair share already) XP)


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto Characters and I couldn't make money off of them if I tried. Please don't sue me

Art and Artifice

chapter 22

Naruto and Itachi followed the hanging string of patio lanterns and the sound of music and laughter down the wide trail leading off from the parking lot. The student council had commandeered a large section of Centennial Park, and while they'd also had a backup plan, it had turned out to be the perfect night for an outdoor prom. There were more lanterns and fairy lights everywhere. There had been some debate about torches but it was decided that actual fire around a group of celebrating teens might not be the best idea. A stage was set up but the band was still getting their equipment ready and the music coming from the huge speakers at the moment was recorded. A huge banner congratulating the graduating class was strung up between two trees and the students were signing and doodling all over it. Naruto was thrilled with the idea of an outdoor dance. He sucked in a deep breath of air. Ah summer twilight, how he loved it.

Graduation had been a triumph. He had stood proudly on that auditorium stage in his cap and gown, braving the stares and whispers with a smile. The guys from Shuriken had been his guests, taking the place of family admirably. Kotetsu and Izumo had hooted and hollered loud enough to deafen the people around them when the blond's name was called, announcing his status as an honors student. After the ceremony, Sasuke had found him getting some punch at the crowded reception. The Uchiha had cleared his throat and Naruto had awkwardly moved out of the way with a mumbled apology.

"Wait, I wanted to talk to you. Just talk. I promise." Naruto stopped and, after a slight pause, had nodded warily. Sasuke took a deep breath. "I just wanted to thank you. I have decided what University I want to go to. I'm going to become a writer and that's partially thanks to you." The blond looked about to protest but Sasuke held up a hand. "Mostly I wanted to let you know that I realize I have the opportunity to make a new beginning. I'll be going to a new school full of people that I have yet to meet, and while I don't think I'll ever be like 'you', I will be making a very different impression this time. And that's 'definitely' thanks to you."

A small smile had snuck it's way onto Naruto's face. The boy hadn't actually apologized, but for the proud Uchiha Sasuke, that speech couldn't have come easily. He probably 'wouldn't' ever be like Naruto but he was trying to become a better person and Naruto couldn't help hoping that things worked out for him. It seemed that they all really 'were' redeemable, even the evil Bastard.

"I'm glad to hear that Sasuke. You'll probably find lot's of real friends with common interests. I'm sure you'll meet some people you really like there." Then the blond's little smile had grown into a mischievous grin. "Have you considered taking the tour?"

Naruto smiled at the memory. Sasuke still wasn't his favorite person in the world but things were only somewhat awkward between them, which was a damn sight better than outright volatile. He really didn't want there to be too much friction between himself and his boyfriend's family. The thought was thrust out of his head as they entered the designated 'party area' and he was immediately glomped by an excited Ino.

"There you are! Guess what?!" She stared at the blue eyes that blinked in surprise and waited, as though she really expected a response.

"Uh..." He got no further before he was cut off.

"I got accepted! I'm a college student! I totally owe you one! Remember that. If you ever need anything, I'm at your service." Naruto carefully pried himself from her constricting grasp and glared at his chuckling boyfriend.

"That's wonderful Ino! Congratulations! I 'knew' you would make it though."

"Ino! That's fabulous!" came the cheerful voice of Haku who had just made his way over to them with Zabuza in tow. He gave Ino a big hug and smiled as she squealed and began to chatter a mile a minute.

"Who did you come with?" he asked when he could get a word in edgewise.

"Shikamaru. Oh, I should go get him before he falls asleep somewhere. He makes such a lousy date..." she trailed off as she wandered away into the crowd once more.

"Speaking of 'fabulous'..." Naruto said suggestively as he looked his friend over. Haku was wearing a silky turquoise kimono, with black knee-high platform boots, his long hair up in a bun. (He had managed to get Zabuza into a formal jacket... over top of his usual tee-shirt and jeans.)

"Is that necklace made of spoons?! It's awesome!" Haku laughed at the enthusiastic compliment. He had bent the handles of a bunch of teaspoons to make eyelets at different lengths, so that they made a point in the middle when they were hung around his neck on a leather string. "Maybe you should have used a fork and knife in your hair instead of the chop sticks."

"Damn!" said Haku snapping his fingers. "I never thought of that. Where were you earlier?" Both boys chuckled at the mental image. "I must say though, you're not looking too shabby yourself."

"Thank you." Naruto preened comically, smoothing his hands down the front of his attire. He had matched a fitted cream colored jacket and vest with black buttons, with a black shirt and black slacks, along with an iridescent orange tie that looked black where the angle of the light changed. Haku chuckled again and made sure to compliment Itachi as well, on his classic elegance. He did look damn fine in a tux.

Not long into the evening, Naruto had discarded the jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Itachi made no protest as he now had a clear view of how nicely the pants he was wearing hugged his ass. A loud whistle cut through the rest of the noise as Kiba and Hinata approached them.

"Dude! Those pants are 'scandalous'!" Kiba joked.

"Aww Kiba, were you looking at my ass?" Naruto teased right back and Kiba laughed loudly.

"Nope, I've already got me a hot date," he said, hugging a blushing Hinata to his side.

"You look very nice Naruto Kun," said Hinata, with a pretty smile.

"And you look very 'happy'. I'm glad you've found yourself such a stand up guy." He and Kiba exchanged an amused look. "Did you notice he didn't cave to temptation at all?" Kiba burst into barking laughter and Hinata giggled along.

"It was tough man. You 'are' pretty tempting," he countered sarcastically. "So this is Sasuke's brother huh?" He looked to Itachi who introduced himself with his usual fine manners. "I gotta say, it still amazes me that you ended up with an Uchiha. I'm even more amazed at the turn around he's made though. Not that he's apologized for anything he did before, ('that's' too much to hope for) but his attitude has changed quite a bit. He hasn't been 'nearly' as nasty these past few days."

"My brother does seem to have matured somewhat," said Itachi. "Of course, that didn't excuse him from punishment entirely."

"Eh? What did you do to him Itachi?" Naruto asked with a suspicious look.

"I didn't hurt him," he assured innocently. Somehow...'somehow', innocence just didn't seem to suit Itachi. "I just held him upside down and dunked his head in the pool repeatedly until he begged for mercy." he explained matter of factly, as though it should have been obvious. His lips curled into a smirk. "I have to give him credit. He lasted quite awhile." Kiba was almost rolling with laughter.

"This guy's Awesome!" he exclaimed through mirthful tears. Naruto began giving his boyfriend a mock reprimand.

"He's fine," came a familiar voice. All four turned to see Sakura grinning at them. "He came here with me and he looked no worse for the wear."

"Ah hello Sakura chan," Naruto said sheepishly. He never did get to find out her reaction to learning the truth about him.

"Hi Kyuu.. er, uh.. Naruto. Which one do you prefer?" Naruto grinned at her.

"Baby, 'you' can call me anything you 'like'. Just look at your bad self with your sexy tattoo." He waggled an eyebrow ridiculously and she blushed and giggled.

"Oh, you were right about that you know. It 'does' look sexy right now." Sakura turned around to let them see her backless dress that showed off the tattoo perfectly and they all oohed and aahed for her. "But it looks like all the really hot guys like 'you' better," she mock pouted. Itachi smirked and pulled his blond boyfriend against his chest from behind.

Later on Naruto and Itachi were dancing slowly under the twinkling lights toward the edge of the crowd. Naruto rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder and let out a contented sigh.

"Getting tired?" Itachi asked.

"Maybe a little."

"You know, I think your prom turned out nicer than mine."

"Really?" asked Naruto, smiling up at him.

"Yeah, I've got a 'real' date this time." The blond laughed and leaned up for a kiss which was gladly returned. Suddenly some annoying cooing and giggling interrupted the moment. Glancing over to the side, they noticed that they had a small audience of starry eyed females.

"You want to get out of here?"

"Yeah, I'm about ready to go."

-------------------------------------------------------------

When they'd reached the car and had themselves buckled in, Naruto took a look at the time on the stereo.

"Hmm, I guess it's actually still kind of early to be leaving a prom," he commented.

"That's a good thing. It's going to be a long drive." The blond blinked in confusion.

"Eh? Where are we going?"

"Konoha," Itachi answered with a secretive little smile. Naruto shook his head in baffled amusement and settled back in his seat, deciding to let it go and see what happened. After drowsing through most of the midsection of the trip he was awake and alert when the car pulled up outside of a tidy looking apartment building. He was even more curious now as he'd been expecting to see the university dorms. He followed Itachi into the front doors and up one flight of stairs. When they got to the door Itachi was looking for, he unlocked it and then stood aside motioning for the blond to go ahead. Naruto walked through the door to find a very nice apartment. It's layout was wide open and when the sun came up he was sure there would be a lot of light. He didn't see any of Itachi's personal effects though. The place contained only the major pieces of furniture which seemed to be brand new. He turned back to Itachi in puzzlement.

"I thought you lived in a dorm."

"I did," Itachi answered. "I just got this place. I thought we might need the space."

"What?"

"Naruto, I want to ask you to move in with me, to live here." Itachi actually allowed a hopeful look to show on his face.

"Itachi! I...but I...I mean I don't.." The blond's stuttering was cut off as Itachi suddenly pulled a crisp, white, official looking envelope from his suit jacket and held it in front of himself, displaying Naruto's name on the face. Naruto blinked, then shifted his gaze up an inch to take in the return address. Itachi was counting down in his head. '..three, two, one.'

"OH MY GOD!!" The blond threw himself at the Uchiha with a wild burst of excited laughter. Itachi staggered back as he caught him.

"I bribed somebody in the office to let me deliver it to you personally," he managed under the crushing hug. Naruto pulled away a little, just long enough to take the envelope and tear it open. Pulling out the contents he looked it over for just a moment before the laughter bubbled up again and he threw his arms back around Itachi.

"I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!"

"Yes," answered Itachi mildly, "and now you're going to need a place to stay. I'd really like to help you out..." he trailed off suggestively.

"YES!" the little blond giggled. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Each repetition was punctuated with a kiss. The last one Itachi caught and held, his tongue diving in unexpectedly. He leisurely made a sweeping exploration of the blond's mouth and began a slow massage of his yielding tongue. Naruto shivered at the intense sensation as his own tongue was drawn back into Itachi's mouth. Strong hands smoothed down his back and he arched into the hard body before him, his arms tightening around broad shoulders. The letter and the envelope fluttered to the floor as both of his hands slid up to cradle the back of Itachi's head, fingers working the tie from his ponytail and then tangling in long dark hair. Itachi sucked lightly on the boy's tongue drawing a muffled whimper from him. He began to tug the dress shirt from the blond's pants as he withdrew his tongue slowly and gave a last little nibble to swollen lips before moving on to lay a path of soft kisses over one marked cheek. A blatant shudder traveled up Naruto's spine as Itachi paused to rest a cheek against his own and hot breath fanned over his ear.

With a little rub of his cheek, the Uchiha brought his lips to that ear and let the tip of his tongue reach out to trace around the edge. Reaching the lobe, he gave it a little nip and dropped an open mouthed kiss to the base of the blond's jaw. Naruto squeaked and goosebumps rose all down the side of his neck. With a smirk at the reaction he'd created, Itachi proceeded to work on that spot, sucking and nibbling for a bit before moving down the side of his neck, following the trail of goosebumps. Heat was flooding Naruto's body, a tightening feeling began in his chest, spreading down to his stomach and radiating outward.

He was having a hard time focusing on any one thing, his attention divided between the mouth teasing every inch of his neck and the hands that had worked their way under his shirt and were causing more goosebumps with the ticklish sensation of fingertips trailing lightly over his skin. He gasped at a sharp little nip to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Itachi latched on there licking and sucking until he'd created a mark that would last for days. A moan escaped the blond and he threw his head to the side to surrender as much of his skin to the torment as he could but Itachi wasn't satisfied. He needed more. His right hand abandoned it's position on the boys back and snuck up between them to work on the buttons of the shirt that was in impeding his progress, his lips never faltering in their relentless toil. As soon as he had access, he began to attack the blond's collar bone, moving down along the dip of it while his fingers continued to tackle the rest of the buttons. The remaining hand on Naruto's back splayed out firmly to support him as his body leaned back. Coming to the hollow of the boy's throat, Itachi licked a narrow path straight up and over his chin, recapturing that soft mouth. His hands moved to slide the shirt and vest off the little blond's shoulders.

Lost in the kiss, Naruto compliantly unwound his arms from Itachi's shoulders, his hands sliding down over the clothed chest, allowing his own shirt to slip down and catch at his elbows. Immediately Itachi's hands began to explore all the newly exposed skin. Naruto trembled under the erotic touch, his pulse racing. His hazy mind was unable to process anything beyond the desire to return the gesture. His fingers began fumbling to undo Itachi's buttons which was hard work when he was trembling and even more difficult when he was continually being distracted by what Itachi was doing to him. Finally getting the last button loose, he yanked the hem up from where it was tucked into the pants, spreading the shirt as wide open as he was able, and slid his hands up over the warm skin that was revealed. A low, soft groan left Itachi at the caress of those gentle, questing fingers on his chest. He slid his own hands from the blond's shoulders over his arms and up to cover the smaller hands with his own. His fingers curled around to grasp them and he pulled away from the blonds lips. Opening his eyes to study Naruto's face, he took a backward step toward the hall, bringing those hands with him. He paused then for a reaction.

Naruto's mind cleared a little as he caught on to what was happening. He felt his stomach flutter and his throat suddenly went dry. Swallowing heavily and biting his lip, his insides tingling with nervous energy he focussed his gaze on Itachi's coal black eyes and took a step forward. His already flushed face grew hotter when he saw his boyfriend's lips begin to curl up at the corners. Inwardly elated at the encouraging reaction, the Uchiha took another step back and Naruto followed more quickly this time. When they reached the bedroom door Naruto pulled his hands from Itachi's hold. His arms dropped to his sides and the shirt and vest slipped the rest of the way off. With his head bowed timidly, he walked ahead into the room. Stopping at the bedside he looked back nervously over his shoulder. Itachi was still standing at the door, mesmerized by the picture he made. A gleam came to pitch dark eyes and in three long strides he reached the blond, discarding his own shirt along the way, and wrapped his arms around his slender waist.

He began at the end of one tattooed tail on a golden shoulder and followed it down with lips and tongue, sliding his body down the back of the smaller one before him. The blond was making the most arousing sounds as he continued to map out each of the tails. Naruto lifted his arm and twisted his body automatically as Itachi moved up from the spiral and along the last tail following it around the boy's side to his chest, taking note of a very sensitive spot on his ribs while he passed. He reached the tip of the tail and continued on to the nipple nearby that was already tightened from the shivers traveling over Naruto's tanned skin. The blond held Itachi's head to his chest as he fervently assaulted his nipple, and felt his already weak legs turning completely to jelly. Itachi could feel him beginning to slump and caught him quickly. With a smirk he stood, enjoying the little whine of protest he caused and picked up the nine tailed boy to toss him lightly onto the bed.

Itachi moved to quickly unbutton his pants and the smirk grew as he heard the blond's quiet gasp. Blue eyes widened, their gaze trained on those pale hands with utmost fascination. Naruto was biting his lip again and he could almost feel the blush spreading further down his body while he watched Itachi slowly, teasingly lower his pants. The older boy's excitement was evident beneath the thin silky material of his boxers. Naruto blinked and quickly glanced down at himself. Wow those pants really 'were' scandalous!

Suddenly Itachi, clad only in his boxers, was settling himself on top on the blond, straddling his hips deliberately. He leaned down and captured the sweet lips that he'd become so addicted to and ground his hips experimentally into Naruto's. Overwhelmed by the sudden friction, the blond cried out into Itachi's mouth and bucked up without thought. Itachi growled his approval and licked a quick stripe down the neck and lower still to circle the previously neglected nipple and attach his lips to it while his hands busied themselves with the removal of a pair of ,very sexy but cumbersome pants. His mouth worked it's way down as he moved to slide the pants the rest of the way off. When he reached the area just under the navel, a visible shiver shook the small body and he remained there a moment teasing the sensitive spot. The sound the blond made when he nipped lightly with his teeth caused an answering shudder to roll through his own body.

He curled his fingers into the waistband of the boy's boxer's and heard a tiny squeak. Looking up he found a panting Naruto nervously watching him with foggy blue eyes. Itachi smiled fondly and laid a tender kiss on his sensitized stomach in reassurance. Still watching for any negative sign, he tugged the boxers down past the boy's hips. Naruto's eyes squeezed shut and he sucked in a quiet breath as the cool air of the room rushed over his heated flesh.

Once he had removed the last of the blond's clothing, Itachi sat back to look over his little lover. He was a study of lean, taut muscle in golden tones, splayed out below him on crisp, new sheets. If Itachi had believed in any specific gods, he would have been offering them praises right now. The fingertips of one hand gently traced over the tails that curled around Naruto's right thigh. He smiled at the shy boy who couldn't seem to meet his gaze for embarrassment. How did he manage to be so lucky as to be the first (and 'only' if he had anything to say about about it) to witness something so.. incredibly...

"Beautiful!" he whispered, drawing Naruto's gaze back to him at last. "Nobody has ever, 'could ever' imagine something so beautiful." The blush on scarred cheeks darkened as blue eyes sparkled with a rush of emotion. Naruto leaned up, supporting himself on one hand. The other wound around the back of Itachi's neck to pull him forward into an evocative kiss. Itachi returned the kiss readily with everything he had, leaving the blond breathless. Gently, he pushed him back down, sliding his hands down his sides and onto his thighs, smoothly spreading them open. He kissed and licked his way up the inside of one of those thighs while Naruto held his breath in rising anticipation.

All the air left Naruto's lungs in a rush as a hot, wet tongue swiped up the under side of his cock and swirled around the head. Itachi wasted no time in taking him into his mouth and stroking slowly, taking him deeper with each pass. The blond head fell back, eyes squeezing shut while his mouth opened in a silent cry. He didn't remain silent for long though as Itachi's wicked tongue rubbed slick patterns randomly over his entire shaft. The younger boy's body was soon trembling uncontrollably. Itachi's hands grabbed his hips to hold him steady. When the moans became, quick, panting little mewls, he reluctantly pulled away. Naruto's tensed body collapsed with a pitiful whine and Itachi felt his arousal increasing impossibly at the sight of the helpless, quivering mess he'd reduced his beautiful boy to. Naruto was too far gone to notice his lover reaching for his pants and pulling a tube of clear gel from the pocket, with which he proceeded to slick his fingers. He 'did' notice however when those fingers found his entrance and began to massage the tight ring of muscle there. He let out a little gasp of surprise and involuntarily tried to close his legs. Itachi gently shushed him and soothingly kissed his stomach, while he slid his finger inside as carefully as possible. The little blond's muscles clamped down at first, squeezing the single finger tightly. A flood of excitement washed through Itachi at the feeling and he ground his hips down into the bed in a futile attempt to ease some pressure. He worked his finger gently in and out until the passage relaxed some, before sliding in the second finger, resulting in another spasm and the blond squirming in discomfort. Diligently Itachi continued to loosen him while searching out that supremely sensitive spot inside. He knew he'd found it when Naruto arched onto his fingers suddenly and breathlessly cried out his name. Smirking in triumph he added a third finger, soothing the boy's whimpers with kisses, and continued to prepared him as quickly as he could without causing needless pain. At this point his own patience was hanging by a thread. Finally, coating himself thoroughly with lubricant, he moved up, and catching his elbows under Naruto's knees to hold his legs up and open, he lined himself up with the blond's slicked entrance and slowly slid home.

Naruto was whimpering again and Itachi paused, gritting his teeth for a second to get a hold of himself. He kissed each of the closed eyelids before him and they opened to reveal watery blue.

"It hurts now, but I promise I'll make it better. Just let me make you feel something amazing," he murmured.

"I already do." Naruto smiled at him through his tears and Itachi captured his lips ravenously, beginning to move again.

Before long, his little lover was crying out in ecstasy, begging him to thrust harder, more. The pace picked up. Faster and faster until everything was just an intense blur of color, sound and feeling. It seemed the whole room was getting hotter. Naruto felt like it had been going on forever but he never wanted it to stop. He was almost sobbing now, for a different reason, as he was filled completely again and again. Itachi made sure to strike the spot that had the blond bucking back and screaming his name. God, how loved that sound! The heat and constriction was getting to be too much for him. He quickly brought a hand around to stroke Naruto's cock, bringing him to a finish just before he climaxed himself, as deep inside his lover as he could get. He held himself in place as they both rode out the residual waves of euphoria, gasping and shuddering together. When the blond's spasms had milked him completely and finally died down, he let go of the legs he'd been holding, which fell limply to the bed, and carefully pulled out, mindful of Naruto's wince. Collapsing to the side, he pulled the smaller body into his arms and initiated a long slow kiss. When their lips finally parted, sated blue eyes met and held his own for a long moment.

"I love you so much," the blond whispered ardently.

"I love you 'more'," Itachi responded with a serious face that fell into a familiar smirk a moment later. Naruto giggled, trailing off into a tired sigh. He snuggled his face into Itachi's neck and quickly started to doze off. A couple of minutes went by in peaceful silence.

"Do you think Ino would make me some copies of those pictures?" Itachi didn't bother to dodge the pillow that thwapped him in the face. He just gave a little chuckle and pulling the blond more firmly against him, he kissed the damp golden locks and drifted off to sleep.

FIN

(A/N; Well there you go. We've reached the end and hopefully a good time was had by all. This has been a lot of fun and I want to sincerely thank all of you for taking the time to review. Nothing makes me want to write more than a good review. There were a few people who were under the amazing impression that I've been writing this as fast as I've been posting it. LOL I'm not 'that' good man! This story came about because I was all pissy one day that all the good stories take forever to update. So I had a bratty moment and claimed that I could write a chapter a day. I set out to do just that and I nearly killed myself writing 22 chaps in 22 days and posting them on aff. Seriously, there's no way in 'hell' I could have written 3 in one day. XP No sir, I've just been posting at random or whenever someone begged. It's been fun and I'm glad everyone seems to like the results. I hope I haven't spoiled you all too much. Now I must go and proofread my third part to jesus what the hell is that (seriously needs a shorter title but I was feeling lazy when I came up with that one) before I post it. I hope to hear from you again when I get my next fic on the go. dagget out! (so lame XP) )


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